The Start of an Interesting Year
by CallistaStar
Summary: A Lucky Rabbit Reflex fanfic. Caitlin (OC) is a US student who has recently moved to the UK and is attending Northmain College, where she meets a bunch of zany characters. Along the way, perhaps she'll find romance and friendships with them. (Also, please excuse the formatting of the story. This is a multi chapters fic but all in one doc. XD)


**The Start of an Interesting Year**

Reluctantly, I woke up as I heard the alarm on my clock beep, telling me that I needed to get up now or I'd be late. I wished I could sleep in more, especially considering that I hadn't yet gotten over my jet lag. My parents and I had just arrived in England one day ago and my body definitely needed to adjust to the time differences. However, I couldn't afford to be late on my first day of school.

So I got out of bed, took a quick shower, and got dressed into my school uniform. I sighed to myself as I got ready. A part of me felt as though I should be excited for my first day. After all, I was in another country, getting immersed in another culture, and I could make a whole new group of friends. But a part of me did miss my life back in Michigan where I was used to getting dressed in whatever clothes I wanted and so forth. Then again, I should be used to moving around so much by now. Because of my dad's job, my parents and I moved a lot but this was the first time I had to move to another country.

As these thoughts raced in my head, I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and sighed again. I looked plain and ordinary with my short brown hair but I guess I don't look like a freak so that's something. Seeing the time on my cell phone, I hurried out of the bathroom, grabbed my backpack and went downstairs to have breakfast with Mom and Dad.

I entered the dining room and took my seat at the table where Dad was already dressed in his business suit and Mom was busy serving breakfast to Dad and me. Dad turned away from the newspaper he was reading and smiling at me, he asked,

"All ready for your first day at Northmain, Caitlin?"

I nodded and replied, "I suppose so but it feels so weird to be going to a new school in my final year of high school. I mean-what about uni applications and all that?"

Dad replied, "It's Northmain College, sweetie, and you don't need to stress about applying to university because of the late transfer. Northmain is a very good school and you'll have the best education there. And once you graduate, you can decide on whether to go to university here or back in the States."

I replied, "I guess but I really do wish I could have stayed in Michigan to finish my final year."

Mom finished serving breakfast to us and after taking a seat herself, she replied, "I know it's hard, sweetie, to leave your friends and move to another country. Your dad and I did debate on letting you stay in Michigan but we would have been too sad to be separated from you and besides, we couldn't find anyone who could stay to be your guardian for a year. And we'll be separated next year so we thought that this arrangement was the best."

I put on a brave smile and nodding, I replied, "I guess you're right. I'll make the best of things."

Dad smiled and replied, "That's my girl. Now you and I should eat our breakfast and then I'll drop you off at the train station."

I nodded and taking my fork, I ate my breakfast. After several minutes, I finished and Dad did, too. I got up and as I grabbed my bag, Mom got up and briefly left the room. Then she hurried back and in her hands, there was a black beret. Before I could say anything, Mom put the beret on my head and said,

"There. Now you're all set and you look quite cute with hats."

I was about to complain, saying that I didn't want to wear a hat, but then I saw the happiness on Mom's face and decided to let it go. Mom kissed me on the right cheek and then she kissed Dad. Dad and I then left the house and got into his car, soon driving away from the house and towards the train station.

Once we arrived at the train station, I was about to leave when Dad said, "Have a good first day, sweetie, and I can't wait to hear all about it."

He gave me a kiss on the left cheek and I gave him a kiss on his right. Then I left the car and waved goodbye to him as Dad drove off. I checked the time and hurried to buy a ticket for the train. Once I did so, I got on the train and took out one of my mangas, deciding to pass the time by reading while I waited for the train to arrive at the stop closest to Northmain College.

I guess I became so engrossed in my manga because the next thing I knew, I heard the announcement that the train was arriving in Northmain. I looked at the time and didn't have much left if I wanted to make it on time. So once the train doors opened, I immediately bolted out and rented a bicycle nearby. Then I got on the bike and frantically rode it all the way from the train station to Northmain College.

Once I arrived, I parked my bicycle and then ran inside the main building, hurrying towards the assembly hall. I thought I'd be late when I arrived and it was so unlike me to be late. Fortunately, after I entered the assembly hall, I looked around and saw that there were only a few students as well so I relaxed a bit. I took a seat in the back row and listened as the opening announcements to welcome students were made. The announcements weren't life changing or anything of the sort-just the same old "welcome to Northmain, hope you have a great year" and all that. Listening to the announcements made me feel quite sleepy so I quickly looked around me and took a chance that no one would notice if I took a little nap.

Before I knew what had happened, I woke up to a voice although I couldn't make out the words. After my vision was in focus, I quickly realized what had happened and sitting up, I said,

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to fall asleep like that. It's just that I had to hurry to get here. I didn't want to be late…Well, you know how that is."

The young, yellow-eyed boy who had his brown hair unusually long and in a braid replied quite slyly,

"The ladies get that way around me."

I raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to make of him. However, I didn't want to make enemies on my first day so I nodded and replied,

"And you are…?"

The boy offered me his hand to shake and replied, "I'm Marius, by the way."

I shook his hand and replied, "I'm Caitlin."

Marius smiled at me and replied, "That's an original name."

This time, I didn't keep quiet to his comment and replied a little sarcastically, "Yes, I know. It's an American name. I'm a Yank, ok? Just moved here about a day ago."

Marius put his hands up in a helpless, defensive manner and replied, "Ok, it's fine. I could tell by the accent. Hey, now that we're intimately acquainted, why don't I show you around?"

I thought to myself that Marius had an interesting way with words and felt like commenting on it but then I did let a sarcastic reply slip and didn't want another one to do so, at least not on my first day. So I nodded and replied,

"Sure, ok."

I followed Marius as he gave me a quick tour of Northmain and especially where our classes would be. As our tour finished, he commented,

"So if you see any of the lower grade students here, feel free to give them a slap."

A quiet laugh slipped out of my mouth at the comment and I could see Marius' smile and he said, "We're getting along now, I see."

Just then, a girl with light brown pig-tails emerged from a hallway and said, "Marius Blitz, must you corrupt every girl you meet?"

In his happy manner, Marius replied, "You'll see that we're getting along well already."

I watched this exchange between Marius and the girl go on and could tell that they were at least friends although perhaps not friends in the friendliest sort. Once their exchange was over, I turned to the girl and asked,

"And who are you?"

The girl turned to me and smiling, she replied, "I'm sorry. I'm Merle Piepo."

I smiled to Merle and replied, "And I'm Caitlin. It's nice to meet you."

Merle replied, "Caitlin? That's a pretty name. I'm glad to meet you. It's just too bad that you had to run into _him_ first." Merle jerked her head towards Marius and Marius simply smiled at the comment.

Merle then returned her attention to me and said, "Why don't I show you to homeroom and you can tell me all about yourself along the way?"

I could tell that Merle was one of those typical teenage girls who liked gossip and was chatty. Although I usually avoided these kinds of girls, Merle seemed nice and she wanted to help me so I nodded and replied, "Sure, sounds good."

Marius waved goodbye to the both of us and said, "See you later and it was nice meeting you, Caitlin."

I followed Merle as we headed towards homeroom and Merle asked me questions about myself. They were the usual questions like where I was from, what interests I had, and so forth. She was interested to find out that I was from the States and asked questions about what it was like, how Americans were, and all.

When we arrived in homeroom, we took a couple of seats and Merle then began to chat quietly about the different sports that Northmain had to offer. However, we had to talk quietly as the teacher was talking as well. I was interested about this topic and so I asked Merle what clubs Northmain had and she told me that there were the athletics club as well as netball, drama, and music. I had no idea what netball was but felt a little embarrassed to ask. I figured it was a sport popular in England but definitely not in the States. But hearing the variety of clubs offered, I began to look forward to what Northmain had to offer, as the clubs here were more than the ones back in my old school.

As we continued to chat quietly, I heard footsteps at the door and saw Marius enter the room, followed by a boy with blue eyes and short black hair. I glanced at the boy for a moment, thinking that the combination of those physical traits was an interesting and rare one. While I wondered who he was, Merle saw the boys as well and said,

"Fashionably late, gentlemen. Fashionably late as usual. Caitlin, you know Marius already and this is Shuppin. Shuppin, this is Caitlin, new girl."

I nodded, remembering that Merle had mentioned about Shuppin as we were chatting about clubs and such. I remembered that Shuppin was into music and thought it was an interesting fact as I liked music a lot as well. I smiled at Shuppin and said,

"It's nice to meet you."

Shuppin sleepily replied, "Oh sorry, umm, hi."

I couldn't help but think to myself how attractive it was that Shuppin was shy, as a lot of guys I met were usually anything but shy. But I couldn't figure out what to make of his sleepiness. Merle had told me that Shuppin was usually late to classes and quite sleepy and it made me wonder if perhaps he was like how some of my friends back in the States were. I remember how some of them were so sleepy because they had school, their part-time jobs, and then homework and such. I wanted to ask Shuppin if that was possibly the case but as I had just met him, it would have been incredibly rude to ask such a direct question.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Marius turned to Shuppin and asked, "Who were you whispering sweet nothings to just now, eh?"

As Marius and Shuppin talked, I became confused, unsure of what to make of this topic of conversation. I finally asked,

"What?"

Shuppin turned to me and replied, "Oh don't listen to him. I work at a bakery."

I nodded, thinking to myself that at least part of my question was answered. Then the conversation turned to part-time jobs and I found out that Marius worked at the arcade while Merle made a comment about concentrating on schoolwork rather than slave labor. As I observed that the conversation could potentially turn into an argument, I decided to step in and say,

"Oh working at a bakery sounds romantic."

Inside, I wanted to slap myself. I mean-what kind of comment was that?

Shuppin looked at me and replied, "You wouldn't say that if you met my boss."

Merle then added about how the boss at the bakery will go after anything in a skirt and I listened on. At least I was glad that I was able to change the conversation ever so slightly. Then the bell rang, indicating that homeroom was over and that we were to go to classes. Marius made a slight scoffing sound and said,

"Why did I bother even coming? My first class isn't even in this building."

Then he rushed out of the room. Shuppin then turned to me and said, "It was nice meeting you, Caitlin." He then left as well.

Merle then turned to me and said, "And so it begins." She sighed and said, "I hope you have a good first day, Caitlin." She then hurried out of the classroom as well.

As I was left, I looked at my schedule at my first class and thought to myself,

 _It might have been a good idea to ask for directions to my first class. I'm just going to get lost now._

Despite the change of schools and having to get used to new classes and such, I actually found it ok to follow the classes. It turns out that most of the lessons in my classes weren't that much different from the ones in my old school. Only history class was different but I expected that.

After classes were over for the day, I packed my things and carrying my backpack, I headed outside towards my bike when Merle called out,

"Caitlin? Oh I'm so happy I caught you."

I turned to Merle and replied, "Hey, what's up?"

Merle took something out from her bag and handing it to me, she said, "I forgot to give this to you earlier. You dropped it in homeroom."

I took the item which turned out to be my student planner. I smiled to her and replied, "Thanks, Merle."

Merle happily replied, "No problem and it was looking a little bare so I added the info of everyone you met."

I raised an eyebrow, thinking to myself that it was a bit intrusive of Merle to just write in my student planner like that. But I went ahead and opened it up and saw that indeed, she did include the info of everyone I met today, including Marius, Shuppin, and Merle herself. The info was pretty useful, as even birthdates were included. At least now I won't ever forget someone's birthday and I'll make sure to buy them a present.

I closed my planner and turning to Merle, I replied, "This is useful. Thanks."

Merle smiled and replied, "No problem. So are you taking the train home?"

I nodded and replied, "Yup. I live pretty far away."

Merle replied, "You're so lucky. I have to take the school bus. But I guess I have to be thankful for the little things since I can at least sit down."

I nodded, understanding what Merle meant by taking the school bus. If taking the school bus here was anything like taking the school bus in the States, it's not exactly the most pleasant traveling experience. Merle then said,

"Well, I should be going. I hope you had a good first day, Caitlin."

I smiled and replied, "Yup, I did. Thanks, Merle. See you tomorrow." Then I hopped on my bike and rode it back to the train station. Once I arrived at the train station, I returned my bike to the rental shop, bought a ticket, and then took the train, riding it until I arrived at my stop that was closest to my house.

Once I arrived at my stop, I got off the train and from the train station, I walked home as Dad was still at work. It felt relaxing to walk, as the activity gave me some reflection time to myself and to keep to my thoughts.

After I arrived home, I said hi to Mom and then went to my room, deciding to change into more comfortable clothes and then to relax until it was time for dinner. Once Dad arrived, the three of us went to the dining room to have dinner. Mom and Dad asked me how school was and I told them about the classes as well as the students I met so far. They relaxed as they noticed how happy I was and they commented about how well I'd adjust at Northmain. Dad then talked about his work and how his new promotion was going and everything.

After dinner was over and I helped clear the table, I went to my room and decided to organize my things a bit. I still had boxes that I needed to unpack from the move so I went ahead and finished that first. Then I went through my backpack and sighed as I noticed how much homework I had although it had only been the first day. Fortunately, though, it wasn't due the next day so I could take my time in getting it done. Feeling tired, I decided instead to open my student planner and take a look at the details Merle penned in. As I read the details of everyone I met, I thought to myself that this year would be interesting indeed. Questions raced in my head and I wondered to myself:

 _Would I make a best friend for life?_

 _Would I find true love?_

I felt myself looking forward to and excited about the new school year and this feeling engulfed me so much that only when I looked at the time did I notice how late it was. It was 1 a.m. and way past when I'd usually go to bed. So I hurried to get ready for bed and once I climbed in and pulled the covers over me, there was a happy, excited smile on my face, a feeling that I hadn't yet experienced but could only describe as being euphoric. As I fell asleep, the last thought in my consciousness was

 _Look out, Northmain. I'll make this year one to remember._

 **Chapter 2**

My first week at Northmain turned out to be pretty interesting, to say the least. On Wednesday, I was walking down one of the hallways during lunch break when, suddenly, I overheard a conversation between Merle and a short dark-skinned, black haired girl. Not wishing to interrupt their conversation, I decided to hide behind a wall and peered over my shoulder, straining my ears to find out what they were talking about.

I heard bits and pieces and from what I discerned, it sounded like the girl-who I found was Lufika, Marius' younger cousin-was quite upset because one of the clubs she had wanted to join was disbanded so Merle was trying to persuade her to join the netball team instead, making arguments like how it would look good on her university applications and all. However, I remembered that Lufika was younger than us and so she wouldn't need to worry about applying university for a while so that argument wouldn't stick. Anyway, it sounded as though Lufika wouldn't be persuaded and instead decided to check out athletics as a possibility.

As the two ran off, I finally emerged from my hiding spot when suddenly, a voice behind me asked,

"Decided on a club yet, Caitlin?"

I nearly jumped at hearing Marius' voice suddenly behind me and looking surprised, I replied, "Give a girl a heart attack, why don't you?"

Marius simply smiled and replied, "Hey, don't change the subject. You're joining the athletics club, right?"

I raised an eyebrow and replied, "Why is everyone here a member of some club? Back in the States, it didn't matter so much. If you didn't like the clubs the school had, you could just go home as far as anyone was concerned."

Marius shrugged and replied, "Well, you know, it'd look good on your uni applications. Get your weekly exercise, compete against other schools…And it's better than shoplifting like most of the population."

In my mind, I had to admit that joining a club would be a good idea. I did join a couple of clubs back at my old school and I wanted to enter a good university so Marius made a good point. However, I was never really much of a sporty person so athletics was most likely out for me. I contemplated over the other clubs that were accepting new members and after a couple of minutes, I finally replied,

"Athletics sounds great but I'd rather give the music club a shot. I did play an instrument a few years back and I'd like to try it again as a hobby."

Marius didn't seem too disappointed and replied, "Ok but I bet I'll see you there on the field before the year's out."

I thought to myself,

 _Yup, you'll probably drag me out there but I'm not working out in the cold or rainy weather if I can help it._

As Marius was about to run off, I looked after him and exclaimed,

"Hey, where are you off to? What about my 'Hey, Caitlin, so how's your first week going so far?"

Marius returned briefly and replied, "Sorry, Caitlin, but lunchtime's so short. So many recruits, so little time."

And then he ran off again.

Sighing to myself, I shook my head and as I headed towards my next class, I thought to myself,

 _Guess I'll give the music club a shot then. I wonder if it'll be anything like the one back at my old school._

On Friday morning, as I was rushing towards homeroom, I stopped in the hallway as I saw Shuppin and another girl talking-no, it looked more like they were having an argument. Curious to hear what the argument was about, I decided to eavesdrop. I heard bits and pieces and it sounded like some sort of family argument so I figured out that the girl with Shuppin must either be his sister or maybe a cousin.

After Shuppin left, I stepped out, making myself visible before the girl. Giving an apologetic smile, I said,

"Umm, I'm sorry for eavesdropping but is everything ok? I couldn't help but overhear…"

The girl gave a small smile and replied, "It's nothing. My brother and I don't really see eye to eye most of the time."

I nodded and replied, "Ahh I see. So you must be Shuppin's sister."

The girl nodded and replied, "You know Shuppin?"

I replied, "Yeah, he and I are in the same form class. I'm Caitlin MacKenzie."

The girl smiled and replied, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Dys. Shuppin and I are twins."

I smiled and replied, "Yup, I can definitely see the family resemblance.

Dys replied, "I should get going. My first class isn't in this building but it was nice meeting you, Caitlin."

I replied, "It was nice meeting you, too."

Dys then ran off and as I headed towards my homeroom, I thought to myself how this school was quite interesting, as it had its fair share of teenage angst. It's almost as though I were dropped in a high school drama or something. If anything, this school would be anything but boring.

So that was my first week of classes. It was eventful on the social front but at least in regards to academics, it looked as though I'd be able to keep up with them.

On Saturday morning, I decided to go on my computer, as our Internet connection at home had finally gotten set up. First, I checked on my emails from my friends back in the States and I did receive messages from most of them, hoping that I arrived in England ok and that we would be able to chat soon. However, I noticed that one of my closest friends, Alexia, hadn't sent me anything at all although she promised that she would. I felt a little disappointed but quickly shrugged off that feeling. Perhaps Alexia was simply busy but would send a message as soon as she had time.

Then I checked on my other emails. I read the brief welcome message for joining FaceMate-it's a social networking site that the students at Northmain use. Then I read a couple of emails from Merle hoping that my first day went ok and that I hoped she liked what she did to my journal. I found her shorthand somewhat difficult to understand although I did appreciate the gesture. Then I read an email from Dys and she hoped that my first week went all right and that I could go to her if I needed any help. Finally, I checked out the fashion site that Merle recommended. The site gave out the latest fashion tips that were in season. I usually just style myself however I wish but I mentally made a point to check it out monthly, as perhaps I could pass those tips on to Alexia. I remembered that Alexia loved keeping up on the latest fashion tips and so forth.

After I finished using the computer, I logged off and turned it off. Briefly stretching out my arms, I contemplated how I should spend the rest of my Saturday. As it was my first weekend here, I decided it would be a good idea to check out Arndale, the local shopping mall, and perhaps buy some clothes. Mom and Dad gave me some money after we arrived in England and they would give me a weekly allowance. Although that would suffice for now, I wanted to find a part-time job as well and so would have to ask around to do so. As I already knew a few students and a couple who had part-time jobs, perhaps one of them could recommend one for me.

At any rate, I took a quick shower, got dressed, had breakfast with Mom and Dad, and taking my purse, I left the house, heading to the train station to head to town. Once I got off at the designated stop, I headed directly towards Arndale and took a look around. It was very similar to the shopping malls back in the US so that felt a little reassuring. The three main stores in Arndale were La Dauphine, Boutique Tide, and Kit Locker. I checked out all three of them but spent the most time at Boutique Tide, as it had the clothes I really wanted. I bought a couple of shirts and a couple of pairs of pants and after I finished shopping and got a bite to eat, I headed back home. As I headed back home, I wondered to myself how Merle and the others spent their Saturdays but then I suppose I figured I could always call them if I wanted to hang out or something.

Finally, I arrived back home and spent the rest of the weekend alternating between relaxing and catching up on my studies. Although I had pretty much adjusted to the time difference now, there were occasionally moments where my body felt like it needed a nap so I would do so when I could. Otherwise, I was adjusting to life here pretty well, all things considered. I had more freedom to plan out my studying and social activities as compared to my old school although I still had to attend the classes that were on my schedule during the week. However, I did have more free time as well so I could figure out how to best use it and since I was determined to get admitted to the best universities here and in the US, I needed to study as hard as I could.

On Sunday evening, as the weekend came to a close, I lay on my bed after I studied for a bit and I looked forward to the coming week. I'd find out what the music club at Northmain would be like and see if I'd meet anyone new. I hoped I would make more friends and perhaps if I got lucky, I might even be able to fall in love. Who knows? Anything seems possible.

 **Chapter 3**

It was the start of another week at Northmain. I adjusted to life pretty well here now although there were occasions where I felt some unfamiliarity. Fortunately, Merle and Dys were pretty friendly in helping me around, getting me acquainted and such.

During our lunch break on Monday, the three of us decided to hang out in the girls' bathroom. Although I had been in the bathrooms at school, of course, this was the first time I wasn't just going to stay for a couple of minutes and leave. I turned to Merle and said,

"Well, this sure is classy. Do you all really hang out in here?"

Merle nodded and replied, "Yup. This is the best place to get the latest news on what's happening with everybody here and if you need any info, I'm the best person you can ask."

I raised an eyebrow and replied, "So you talk about gossips and scandals and such? Man, I feel like such a _girl_."

Merle smiled and replied, "Yeah, isn't it the best? Right now, I'm working the whole Dys Marchelaure angle. But it's all very hush-hush. Can't really talk about it and all."

I looked to the side where I saw Dys standing nearby and looking in her direction, I replied, "Is it maybe because she's standing right there?"

Merle noticed Dys and replied, "Oh no. I'm getting all the best news from her-straight from the horse's mouth, you might say."

Dys sighed and replied, "You're such a good friend, Merle."

Merle and Dys continued their conversation and as I observed, Dys clearly looked uncomfortable with her being the topic of conversation although Merle wouldn't drop it. As I wanted to spare Dys from any further embarrassment, I then said,

"What is this all about anyway? I mean-I can't say that I've actually heard anything."

Dys looked to me and replied, "There's nothing to talk about, really, and I'd like things to stay that way."

Merle then coughed, appearing as though she wanted the attention back on her. Dys sighed and said,

"Go on then."

Merle looked to me and said, "Well, she's right. There really isn't anything to talk about _yet._ But you remember Shuppin? Sits behind you in registration."

I replied, "My memory's not quite that bad."

Merle replied, "Anyway, you might have noticed that he and Dys aren't exactly the best of friends."

I did remember the encounter on Friday where I overheard Dys' and Shuppin's argument and I saw Merle's point. Nodding, I looked to Dys and said,

"Yeah, I was quite surprised that you two were brother and sister, really."

Dys looked surprised and replied, "Is it really that bad? I know that people who've been here a long time will have noticed but…"

I shrugged and replied, "Well, I didn't really get that sibling vibe from the two of you but then I haven't been here as long."

Dys replied sadly, "Sometimes I don't feel like his sister."

Merle looked surprised and after a moment of silence, she replied, "Oh?"

Dys looked at her and replied, "What?"

Merle looked slightly disappointed and replied, "Damn. I was hoping you'd chuck a little more info my way but not bad, Caitlin. I'm liking your direct approach. Should we try to figure out the real story between these two?"

As I wasn't the kind of person who liked to gossip or poke around in other people's business knowingly, I replied,

"Umm, I don't think that's a good idea. I think Dys and Shuppin should just work things out for themselves, you know?"

Merle looked disappointed and replied, "Aww, you're no fun."

Dys looked at me and although she didn't say anything, she gave me a grateful smile, as though silently thanking me for not agreeing with Merle to pursue the matter.

As we all left the bathroom towards the end of lunch break and separated to go to our classes, I was actually curious to know what the real deal was between Dys and Shuppin. However, I wasn't going to poke my nose where it didn't belong, hoping that those two would work things out.

On Wednesday afternoon, I decided to head to the music room for my first meeting of the music club. Cautiously, I entered the room and looked around. Although it appeared empty, I called out,

"Hello? Is anybody here? I wanted to know if I could sign up…"

Not hearing a reply, I thought to myself,

 _Merle must have given me the wrong information about the music club meeting here. I'm going to kill her._

As I was prepared to leave, a female voice suddenly called out, "Please wait."

I stayed in place and looking towards the direction of the voice, I finally observed a beautiful blonde-haired girl standing before me, looking slightly timid. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she then continued,

"It's just-I can't believe it. A new member. I thought that no one would ever join this paltry excuse for a club."

The girl continued to ramble on nervously and offered to clean the music room, making it tidier and such. I wanted her to feel comfortable around me so I gave her a smile and replied,

"Oh there's no need for that. I like how this room looks. It's cozy. You shouldn't beat yourself up over every little detail."

The girl relaxed and smiling, she replied, "Thank you. I haven't introduced myself properly, have I? I'm Petime Rastegar. It's very nice to meet you."

I replied, "Ahh, it's Caitlin. Likewise. Uhh I hope you don't mind me asking but how did you come to be the only music club member?"

I did find it a little unusual that there was only one member in the music club since back at the schools I previously attended, music clubs were one of the more popular clubs to join.

Petime looked a little saddened and then explained about how she had a passing interest in music and heard some students playing their instruments during lunch break. I especially became interested when she mentioned about one particular student although Petime didn't say his name. However, based on how she described this student, I had a pretty good feeling of whom she was talking about. For now, though, I decided to keep my guesses to myself.

As I was listening to Petime talk, I observed how formal she spoke English and how she spoke even better than some of the English royalty. As the other students didn't speak like her, I guessed that she might not have grown up in England and if that were the case, I could find it easier to become friends with her. As it was obvious that I grew up in America, I thought that Petime and I could bond over how we were raised in different countries and how we spoke differently from others. However, I kept that possibility to myself for another time, as I didn't wish to interrupt Petime while she was talking.

After a little more time passed, Petime said,

"I don't wish to guilt you into returning to the club but it would be wonderful to have you return."

I looked curiously at her and replied, "Oh do you have to leave now? I guess I got here kind of late."

Petime looked sad and replied, "I'm afraid so. I'm only permitted to make use of this room for club activities until 4 p.m."

I nodded and replied, "I understand. That'll give me more motivation to return, right?"

Petime smiled and replied, "I hope to see you again, Caitlin."

Then I took my leave and left the music room, heading out of the school and towards the station to catch the train home. As I was walking, passing by some people, I stopped a bit, as I thought I saw someone familiar but not someone from Northmain. I did a double take but that person wasn't there. Shaking my head, I thought to myself,

 _Nah, that's not possible. Alexia wouldn't be here. She's back in Michigan at our old school with our other friends. Why would she be here?_

Quickly snapping out of my thoughts, I continued on my way to the train station, looking forward to a nice rest in my room.

 **Chapter 4**

It was the start of another week and on Monday morning, I was on the train, frantically trying to finish my homework for classes that day. Although I usually wouldn't have left my homework until the last minute, I hadn't made much progress on it over the weekend. My mind would wander at times to last week where I thought I had seen Alexia. Although I had made it a point to be more vigilant of my surroundings and the people around me, I hadn't seen her again. Also, it didn't help that I didn't yet receive an email from her, let alone a phone call. I'd hoped that she would have contacted me by now to let me know that things were ok on her end. I was worried and hoped that nothing bad had happened to her.

So there I was seated, doing my best to finish my homework, despite the rumbling movements of the train at times. When I looked up to take a brief break, it was then that I noticed a familiar figure sleeping across from me. Smiling to myself, I instantly recognized Shuppin. I thought to myself,

 _Looks like I'm not the only one with work. He must be pretty trusting, sleeping on the train like that. Or am I the only person who thinks like that?_

Out of curiosity, I decided to check out the homework he had been doing, perhaps to see if I could help. When I took a peek, I noticed what appeared to be some unusual lyrics that Shuppin had written. Unable to keep my thoughts to myself, I asked,

"Is this supposed to be a song?"

Shuppin then woke up and replied, "Erm, kind of."

In surprise, I took a step back and felt embarrassed. Shuppin must have seen the look on my face, for the next words he said were,

"I'm sorry."

Immediately, I shook my head and replied, "Oh no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to peek. I was just curious. Umm, so is this supposed to be a song?"

Shuppin nodded and replied, "Yeah."

Although I wouldn't call myself a musical expert or anything, I felt confused since I didn't really understand the lyrics of Shuppin's song. I was quiet for a few moments and then slowly replied,

"I…didn't really get it. I mean, maybe I'm retarded or something. These things always go over my head."

Shuppin gave me a smile and replied, "Nah, you're not retarded. These lyrics really are horrible."

He then went on to explain how he was trying to go for that deep, meaningful vibe with the lyrics but failed. Then he looked at me and said,

"I wouldn't have pegged you as the music type, Caitlin. I'm impressed. A little annoyed as well but mostly impressed."

I blushed slightly and replied, "Well, I try. So why are you writing song lyrics anyway? Are you in a band or something?"

Shuppin shook his head and then went on to explain how if he wanted to be a serious musician, he should start writing song lyrics but was obviously having difficulty doing so. Then I replied,

"Well, it's good that you're serious about it anyway, even if you're not quite there yet. And well…"

I trailed off, feeling another blush come to my cheeks. Shuppin looked at me curiously and asked, "What?"

I replied, "Well, it's kind of romantic-a young guitarist, struggling to find inspiration and all."

Shuppin smirked a bit and replied, "How does everything with you come back to romance one way or another?"

I thought to myself,

 _That sure is a good question._

However, I replied, "But it's true." I then went on elaborating on how finding inspiration for lyrics could be romantic and finally concluded by saying,

"Perhaps some new experiences might help the artistic flow?"

Shuppin looked thoughtful over the idea and nodding, he replied, "So you think I need inspiration?"

I nodded happily and replied, "Yup, I'm sure that's it. Once you find it, you'll have no problems writing beautiful lyrics."

Shuppin gave me a smile and nodding, he replied, "I'll give it a try. Thanks, Caitlin."

I returned the smile and replied, "Anytime."

As the train soon after arrived at the stop where Shuppin and I would need to get off for school, I thought to myself,

 _Of course, when I mean new experiences, I mean new experiences with me._

As I then headed towards school, I thought about the conversation Shuppin and I had and felt a little closer to him. It was nice getting to chat with him outside of school although I did wish that we had at least a couple of classes together so I'd have a chance to talk to him more. As Shuppin hadn't called me yet, despite that my phone number was listed on my FaceMate page and I knew that Shuppin had added me as a friend on FaceMate, I wondered if that meant that I'd have to be the one to call him. I had to consider that I might need to do so, especially if I wanted the chance to get to know him better, outside of school.

The rest of the week proceeded as usual although my mind was still preoccupied at times, thinking about Alexia. I could tell that Merle and Dys knew something was on my mind and although Merle tried her best to get the news out of me, I would quickly shake my head and assure her that it was nothing. After all, I didn't want to make a big deal out of something when I had nothing to go on but my feelings.

The next week was like any other. I continued to study and work hard in my classes and at the same time, I did my best to open up to more people although I kept my thoughts about Alexia to myself. After about half the week had passed, though, I was still worried about her, having not heard anything about her. So I finally decided to go to the local gym after school to work out and de-stress and such.

As I was working out on one of the treadmills, trying to get in shape, I overheard some sort of argument between one of the gym employees and a customer. When I listened further and looked in the direction of the argument, I then recognized Marius and it looked like the employee was angry at him for not paying his monthly membership fees. I shook my head and thought to myself,

 _I should have known it was Marius making all that noise and what does he think this is? A pub or something?_

As I got off the treadmill and headed towards the cashier's to make my membership payments, Marius finally saw me and whispered,

"Help me out, will you?"

Although I usually didn't like people skipping out on payments out of principle, Marius was a friend and I thought that perhaps this would just be a one time thing so I turned to the employee and said,

"Ow! Those handles on that treadmill are really sharp. Someone should take a look at them and I hate dragging my lawyer father out here."

The employee looked scared and quickly nodding, he replied, "We'll take a look at that right away, miss."

I then continued, "And you don't even want me to get started on the state of those dumb bells. You could poke someone's eye out with those."

As Marius didn't look like he was taking the opportunity to escape, I glanced at him and whispered,

"You know, a diversion doesn't really work well if you don't take advantage of it."

Marius smirked at me and whispered, "Are you kidding? This is the best entertainment I've had all day."

Fortunately, as the employee was preoccupied with looking at one of the treadmills I pointed to, Marius and I made our escape. Although I did feel bad about having forgotten to pay my fees, I figured that I'd do so next time. Once we were far enough away, I turned to Marius and said,

"Whew, looks like we made it."

Marius smiled and replied, "Thanks for the save back there. No way would I have paid to use those facilities."

I looked at him curiously and asked, "How did you go for so long without paying?"

Marius then explained about how he'd sweet talk the female staff, leave with other customers, and such and that's how he'd get away without paying. Then he went on to explain how he only goes to the gym for the free heating and cable. All the while, I thought to myself,

 _That's the only reason Marius goes to the gym?_

He then concluded on how he knew that he wasn't well-built and how he could if he tried but he was pretty lazy in working out. I raised an eyebrow and finally replied,

"I don't know. You seem kind of like a lost cause to me. Don't you have to be born with that kind of physique?"

Marius frowned and thinking that I had offended him, I asked, "Umm, are you ok?"

He then smiled and replied, "Sorry-I was just imagining really muscular babies."

I punched him in the arm and replied, "Hey, you know what I meant. Anyway, the world needs skinny guys, too, right?"

Marius replied, "I may not be well-built but you could be. You punch like a man."

Annoyed, I simply replied, "Urgh!"

He smirked at me and replied, "Calm down there, beefcake. You don't want to pop an artery or something."

Getting more annoyed, I replied, "You're going down for that."

Marius then ran away and I chased after him although after the workout I had, I couldn't chase him very far and was soon out of breath. Seeing him continue to run further away, I thought to myself,

 _Gosh, I need to work out more if I'm ever going to catch up to him one day._

The next day, as I was finishing up some work at school and was getting ready to leave, I bumped into Shuppin in the halls. Smiling at him, I asked,

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Shuppin smiled and replied, "I was thinking about what you said the other day about me needing inspiration and all and I thought that if I practiced in different places, I might find some."

I looked at him in confusion, not really understanding what he meant by how he was trying to find inspiration. Then realization dawning on me, I asked,

"Oh you mean playing out on the streets or something?"

Marius then appeared and said, "Yeah. You finally got him down on the road to _trampdom_ and he had his whole future planned out and everything."

I was confused, having no clue what Marius meant. After all, I only mentioned to Shuppin that he should find a different means of getting inspiration. At any rate, I observed the conversation between Marius and Shuppin and tried to understand what they were talking about although it was a bit difficult. Marius kept mentioning about how "sex sells" and offered me a contract or something of the sort.

After Marius left, I looked at Shuppin and said,

"Uhh I didn't really get all that but I hope you'll find some inspiration and I definitely want to hear you play sometime."

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Sure. I have to get going now but I'll see you around, Caitlin."

I nodded and after Shuppin left, I thought to myself,

 _Well, I'm not for the whole_ _ **whoring**_ _part but I certainly wouldn't mind hanging out with Shuppin more and listening to him play._

As I made my way towards the school entrance finally getting ready to take my leave, I bumped into someone. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly replied,

"I'm sorry. I should have watched…Alexia, is that you?"

To my surprise, I saw Alexia here at Northmain and this time, it definitely wasn't my imagination.

 **Chapter 5**

It took me a few seconds to recover from my surprise at seeing Alexia but once I did, I stared at her and said,

"It's really you, isn't it?"

Alexia laughed and replied, "Of course, it's me, silly. Who else would it be?"

Quickly, I shook my head to snap myself out of my shock and then grinning, I replied, "Wow, I can't believe you're here. I mean-I see that you're here but how? I need an explanation now."

Alexia nodded and replied, "Of course. How about we head to the Arndale and chat?"

I replied, "Sure but you know the Arndale?"

Alexia replied, "Yup. I've been here for a while now. Don't worry. I'll explain once we get there."

I nodded and Alexia and I headed away from the school and towards the train station to catch the train. As we rode on the train, we found it quite crowded and loud so we didn't get a chance to chat. After some stops, we got off and headed to the Arndale.

After we bought a couple of drinks and snagged a table, I looked at Alexia and said, "Ok, now spill. I thought I saw you last week or so but then I thought it was my imagination or that I was missing you so much that I didn't receive a single email from you. And speaking of, what's up with that?"

Alexia took a breath and then replied, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I really had meant to send you an email but everything happened so fast. It's a long story but I guess you want the short version so here it is. After you and your parents left Michigan, I got really lonely without you. You're my best friend and all. Dad saw how depressed I was and so he had this idea. Since your dad and my dad work for the same company, Dad thought about trying to get an overseas transfer for us as well and fortunately, it worked. I didn't think it would happen but yeah, it did. But we had to make the move quickly which is why I had no chance to let you know what was going on. And besides, isn't it more fun surprising you like this?"

Alexia grinned at me and sighing, I replied, "That's just like you. I am surprised, without a doubt. But you know, when you got here, you could have found me and everything. We could have hung out together before now."

Alexia replied, "Well, I wanted to surprise you although not like this. I wanted to arrive at my first day at Northmain and then have you see me and scream with joy or something of that sort."

I shook my head and replied, "If it's any comfort, most likely, I would have done so. But are you ok with being here? I mean-I'm happy that you're here but you had to leave our friends, too, right?"

Alexia nodded and replied, "Of course. There's no way I could go through my final year of high school-or I guess they call it 'college' here-without you."

I smiled and replied, "Same here. So when I bumped into you back at school, were you registering for classes or something?"

Alexia replied, "Yup, that's right. I was getting my class schedule finally and I was asking about clubs, too. I was hoping to join the drama club here. You know how much I love being on stage."

I nodded and replied, "Ahh yes, that's right. I was hoping you'd join the music club with me since there aren't a lot of members."

Alexia gave me a surprised look and I continued, "Yeah, I know. I don't get it, either. It's cool that you want to join drama but I have to give you a bit of a warning. Umm, the president-Rhett-he's a bit of a jerk. I've never met him personally but that's what my friends here have said about him although he's quite hot."

Alexia looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling and replied, "Ahh handsome and scowling? A challenge I could go for."

I sighed and replied, "It's your funeral but I gave you fair warning. Other girls want him but they haven't had luck. And don't worry-I'm not interested in him one bit."

Suddenly, I looked down at my lap and although it was true that I wasn't interested in Rhett, I was a little interested in Shuppin and I felt my cheeks warm at the thought of him. Alexia coughed knowingly and teasingly replied,

"So there's another guy, huh? And I thought I moved quickly. You sure don't waste any time."

I looked at her in embarrassment and replied, "Hey, it's not like that. There's no guy that I'm _that_ interested in dating at the moment. I just want to make friends here."

Alexia laughed and replied, "Ok, ok. Speaking of, who have you made friends with so far? I can't wait to meet them."

Grateful that the subject had changed slightly, I chatted about all the friends I had met here so far and talked a little about each of them and how interesting they were and so forth. Alexia listened with a lot of interest and looked enthusiastic about starting school at Northmain.

As it was getting towards evening, Alexia and I got up and as we headed out of the Arndale, Alexia said, "I should get home but we can hang out this weekend and I'll see you at school next week. Then you can introduce me to everyone."

I grinned and replied, "Sure, I'm looking forward to that."

Alexia and I headed towards the train station and as we rode the train, the two of us continued to chat happily away. Once we got off at our respective stops, I hummed happily to myself as I walked home. I had my best friend here and I couldn't wait for everyone to meet her.

The weekend passed by quickly with nothing too exciting happening. Alexia and I continued to hang out and we both did a little shopping. It felt good hanging out with her after having been separated for a while.

The next week, I introduced Alexia to Merle and Dys and they were friendly towards her and asked a lot of question. Merle especially did. She'd ask questions about both Alexia and me but fortunately, as Alexia knew me very well, she was discreet in what she told Merle. Also, I introduced Alexia to Marius and Shuppin and not surprisingly, Marius tried to flirt with Alexia although Alexia took his attentions quite well, as she was used to flirting and being flirted.

On Wednesday, I attended another music club meeting and listened to Petime narrating an episode about a glockenspiel although I had no idea what that instrument was. After she was done, she asked,

"Have you decided what instrument you wanted to learn? Or perhaps you are already a musician."

I replied, "Well, I did play an instrument a few years ago-the cello, to be specific. But I would like to try a different instrument."

I looked around the room and noticed something big covered by a white sheet. Pointing to it, I asked, "Hey, what's that?"

Petime took the white sheet off and replied, "That is a piano although it has not been used in a long time. I believe it needs tuning."

I went over to the piano and tried to play a few keys but immediately found them to be off-key. Looking at the expression on Petime's face, I surmised that she thought the same. She then said,

"A little tuning wouldn't go amiss. But I wouldn't want to force you to play the instrument. I heard that it can be an extremely difficult instrument."

I nodded and replied, "Yes, that's true but I can already _chopsticks_. I know it'll be a challenge but I'm up for that."

Petime smiled at me and replied, "I am certain you can do it, Caitlin."

Although I was partially curious to know how Petime was doing learning an instrument, I remembered our first conversation and how she mentioned her interest in music and forming the music club. I had my suspicions on whom she had talked about but I wished to confirm them so deciding to be a little gossipy, I suddenly said,

"So Petime, tell me more about this guy you like."

Petime blushed, obviously taken aback by my comment. After she recovered from the surprise, she told me about how this mystery guy was very talented at many instruments although she had only seen him play the guitar and also how the lower students were quite interested in him. Listening to her, I did confirm my suspicions and that she was talking about Shuppin. I couldn't tell whether Petime simply admired him for his musical prowess or if she had a crush on him or something but there was a funny feeling in my stomach and suddenly, I didn't feel like continuing the subject.

I was quiet for so long that Petime suddenly asked,

"Hey, Caitlin, is everything ok? I am sorry if I rambled on for so long."

Quickly, I shook my head and smiling at her, I replied, "Oh no, it's not that. I just have a feeling I know who your mystery guy might be."

Petime looked shocked and replied, "Was I that obvious? Please don't say anything, Caitlin."

I replied, "Don't worry. I don't even know if it's the guy I'm thinking of. Your secret's safe with me."

I gave her a reassuring smile and after the meeting was over, we left the music room and headed our separate ways. Although I tried my best to pretend that I was all right and that nothing was bothering me, I still had that weird feeling in my stomach although it wasn't as strong. If my suspicions were right and Petime was talking about Shuppin, would this end up being a problem? I shook my head quickly and told myself,

 _No, this is nothing. I'm jumping ten steps ahead. First, I don't even know what I feel about Shuppin right now. Second, I could be completely wrong about Petime talking about Shuppin as the mystery guy. Finally, even if Shuppin was this mystery guy, that doesn't mean that Petime likes him. She could simply admire him, as a muse or something._

Feeling a little better after saying those thoughts to myself, I headed towards home, determined to keep a level head.

 **Chapter 6**

By the end of school the next day, I still thought about the conversation I had with Petime in music club although I had tried my best to put my worries to rest. Deciding that I needed to keep my mind off of it, I went to the local gym after classes were over.

Once I arrived at the gym, I went on an empty treadmill and began to work out. Although I certainly wasn't lazy, I felt out of breath as I was jogging steadily on the treadmill and thought to myself,

 _Gosh, this gets harder every time I come here but I know that it'll all be worth it in the end._

As I was working out, I noticed that Dys had entered the gym and approached an employee to pick up something. She saw me as well and approaching me, she smiled and said,

"Hey, Caitlin, I didn't know you worked out."

I returned the smile and replied, "Heh, you know me, always pumping iron."

The two of us continued to chat for a bit and Dys commented about how she should work out more but didn't have the time. I nodded and replied,

"Well, you always seem busier with academic things. I can understand. I'm like that, too, but I try to get in a good workout every now and then."

Dys replied, "I'm really doing all of this work so it'd look good on my personal statement. My family…is concerned about me getting into a good university."

I replied, "Yeah, I can certainly understand that. I want to get into a good university as well so I'm really trying hard this year to balance myself out but keep up with my studies, too."

Dys smiled and replied, "Well, I should get these reports back to Miss Chahan. I can't see why she can't get them herself."

Dys then waved goodbye to me and headed out to finish her errand while I continued my workout until I was exhausted enough to call it a day and head back home.

The rest of the week flew by quickly and before I knew it, it was the weekend. I was looking forward to it for a specific reason. I decided to gather my courage and give Shuppin a call, hoping that he would have time to hang out with me and so I could get to know him better.

After I'd had breakfast and such on Saturday morning, I went ahead to check my emails first. Most of them were the usual ones from my friends back in the US and such. Then I noticed an email from Petime about piano tuning. Curiously, I read it and she said that the piano in the music room was now tuned so I could use it whenever I wished. There was no mention of our conversation regarding Shuppin so I figured that Petime didn't want to talk more about that subject.

Once I finished checking my emails, I turned off the computer and took a deep breath. I told myself,

 _Ok, I can do this. It's no big deal. I'm just going to call Shuppin and ask if he wants to hang out today. If he says no, don't take it personally. He might be busy or something._

Then I picked up my cell phone and remembering Shuppin's number, as Merle had written it in my planner, I dialed it and then waited. There were a few rings and nervously, I waited. Then I heard someone pick up and Shuppin's voice. I took one more breath and then replied,

"Umm, hi, Shuppin, it's me, Caitlin. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today or something."

Inside, I thought to myself,

 _Good, I didn't make it sound like a date or anything. Just made it sound like two friends hanging out together. Good move._

Shuppin replied, "Umm, whereabouts?"

I hadn't thought that far ahead about where we'd hang out so quickly, I had to think of a place where we could meet. I thought of the first place that popped in my head and replied,

"How about the bakery?"

Then I slapped myself on the side of the head and thought,

 _Man, Shuppin's never going to agree to that. He works there and he'd probably want to hang out somewhere that he doesn't work at._

However, I was surprised when Shuppin replied, "I'll be here all day so you can drop by whenever you like."

As Shuppin sounded like he wasn't against the idea, I replied happily, "Ok, I'll see you then."

After we hung up, I squealed quietly to myself, excited that I'd get to hang out with Shuppin for the day. I went to my closet to find an appropriate outfit. As most of my clothes were of the punk style, I finally decided on a pair of black punk jeans and a punk-style t-shirt. I grabbed a jacket as well, as the weather was getting cooler and I wasn't quite used to the weather in Northmain yet.

Once I gathered my things, I went downstairs and left a note to my parents that I'd be out for the day but be back before dinner, as they had gone out for the day as well. Then I left the house and headed towards the train station to catch the train.

After getting off at the station in downtown, I headed towards the bakery. I was excited and nervous, as this would be the first time that Shuppin and I would really have a chance to hang out away from school. I entered the bakery and looked around. There was a tall blond-haired guy chatting with a couple of female customers and although he sounded like he had a French accent, it didn't sound authentic to me. Then again, I wasn't exactly an expert on France or anything French so I thought I could be wrong. I continued to look around and finally found Shuppin hard at work. I approached him and said,

"Hey, Shuppin, hope I didn't keep you waiting."

Shuppin shook his head and replied, "Nah, not at all." He then noticed me-or rather, my attire-and said,

"Wow, you look like you just got back from a rave or something."

I smiled and replied, "Thanks." Then I thought to myself,

 _Well, as long as I don't smell like I got back from a rave, we're golden._

Then I took a seat at an empty table, hoping that Shuppin would have a break sometime soon and so we could have a chance to chat and get to know each other. However, I noticed Lufika enter and talk to Shuppin, and it looked like she was pleading him about getting the food for free or half-price or something. She looked cutely at him and I thought to myself,

 _Is it just me or is Lufika flirting with Shuppin just to get free food?_

I continued to observe the two in conversation and it looked like they finally came to some sort of agreement. Lufika then got her food and left the bakery. Shuppin sighed and giving him a comforting smile, I said,

"Hey, I won't try to be as difficult."

Shuppin looked at me and asked, "Oh you're still here?"

I raised an eyebrow and thought,

 _What kind of a reply is that? It's like he doesn't want me here or something._

Although I usually would have taken a little offense at such a comment, I decided to let it pass, figuring that Shuppin might be a bit stressed. So instead, I talked about the bakery but questioned about the use of accordions as background music. Shuppin smiled and as we continued to chat about the bakery and its owner, he said,

"The owner wants to hire more waitresses so if you want to apply, the job's there. You don't have to think about it now or anything."

I replied, "Wait, he's only hiring waitresses? No waiters?"

Shuppin replied, "Yeah, he, uhh, wants to balance things out a bit."

I thought to myself,

 _What does he mean by that?_

I looked curiously at Shuppin but seeing that I wasn't going to get an answer, I decided to let the comment pass. He then asked,

"So what do you want to order?"

I looked at him in confusion and replied, "Huh?"

Shuppin replied, "Well, you are going to order something, aren't you? I can't give out any more freebies after Lu bleeding me dry."

Although Shuppin's comment did make sense, I didn't want to hang out with him just to order food. Then again, I did suggest that we hang out at the bakery so really, the fault was mine. Quickly, I looked at my menu and said,

"Well, umm, in that case…"

As I looked to see what I wanted to order, I thought to myself,

 _If I hang out with Shuppin here every time, I'm going to be poor…and obese._

The rest of our time together was uneventful although Shuppin was very busy so we didn't have a chance to talk again until it was time for me to head home. As I took the train back home and then walked, I thought about how I'd hoped that I'd get to know Shuppin better although the only thing I learned was that he was quite busy but even that wasn't new knowledge or anything. Then there was the job offer and suddenly, I had an idea. If I applied for the job and got accepted, wouldn't that give Shuppin and me more chances to hang out together? That could certainly work.

With that resolution, I decided that I would apply for the bakery job next weekend and arrived home feeling a little tired but happier and more hopeful than when I'd left the bakery.

 **Chapter 7**

It was the beginning of another week-another week of school and catching up with friends and whatnot. During lunch break, Alexia found me in a hallway and suddenly pulled me towards the girls' restroom. I wondered what was going on but didn't say anything, knowing that Alexia would tell me soon.

As soon as we were in the restroom and Alexia quickly checked to make sure that no one else was there-I guess she was worried that someone might eavesdrop-she turned to me and with a certain look in her eyes, she asked,

"What happened to you? I tried to call you over the weekend but you didn't pick up."

I remembered that I had turned off my phone for most of Saturday since I was out with Shuppin. Then on Sunday, I had my phone turned off as well since I usually liked to spend Sundays catching up on studying and such. I gave Alexia an apologetic look and replied,

"I'm sorry. I guess I had a busy weekend so I thought it best not to take any calls. Was there anything important you wanted to tell me?"

Obviously, I chose not to tell Alexia about my date with Shuppin, as mentioning it would have distracted Alexia from whatever news she wanted to tell me. Alexia replied,

"Yeah, obviously which is why I tried calling you but anyway, I so have to rant to you."

I gave a worried look and replied, "What happened?"

Alexia groaned and replied, "You were so right about that Rhett. What a jerk. He was going on about how I'd never be able to catch up on all the latest drama activities since I joined the club late even though I couldn't help that. Of course, I did say that I was totally going to try out for _Gunsel and Juliet._ "

I was confused and replied, "What?"

Alexia took a breath and replied, "Oh that's the play the drama club's going to do in the spring. It's based off of _Romeo and Juliet_ but this one will be in an American setting. Yeah, I know that's confusing but that's what Rhett and the drama head decided. Anyway, Rhett made this smart aleck remark about how I wouldn't have any favoritism because I'm American and urgh. I just want to scream."

Merle and Dys then entered the restroom and it was obvious that at least Merle had overheard part of our conversation as she said,

"I told you, Alexia. I don't get why you joined the drama club instead of netball with me and Dys. Rhett's not worth it."

Alexia turned towards Merle and replied, "I didn't join because of him. I actually like being on the stage but you know what? I'm so going to show him. I'm totally going to be Juliet and then do so well that Rhett'll be eating his own words and be on his knees apologizing to me."

Alexia had this determined look that I knew all too well and knowing her as well as I did, I decided to quietly sneak out of the restroom while Alexia continued to rant, as she now had Merle and Dys as an audience.

As I walked in the hallways heading towards my next class, Shuppin saw me and approached me. I was glad to see him and said,

"Hey, Shuppin."

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Hi, Caitlin. Umm, did you have fun on Saturday? I'm sorry we couldn't chat much."

I replied, "Oh, it's ok and yup, I had a lot of fun. You know, I'm considering applying for that job you mentioned. I could use the extra money."

Shuppin replied, "Sounds good but I did warn you about the boss, right?"

I nodded and replied, "Yup but I'll take my chances."

Shuppin replied, "Ok. Oh, I wanted to know if you know what's going on with Alexia. We had maths earlier and she had this look of anger or vengeance or something."

I laughed quietly and replied, "I think I know but don't worry. It has nothing to do with you. You're safe. Just don't mention the drama club or Rhett to her and she'll calm down."

Shuppin nodded and replied, "Sure and thanks for the warning."

I replied, "No problem. I should head off to class since lunch is almost over but I'll see you later?"

Shuppin replied, "Looking forward to it."

The two of us then headed our separate ways and went about our routine.

The rest of the week passed by quickly and on Saturday, after I checked my email, I decided to go ahead and apply for the bakery job so I sent an email and hoped that I'd get the job. Then I hung out with Shuppin again at the bakery and chatted with him for a bit, as we did have a little free time so I got to know him a little better. It was interesting to learn that he wanted to apply to music school in Glasgow and that he could play the guitar very well and played the violin a bit. Then I spent the rest of the weekend studying and making sure that I was caught up on all of my classes for the next week.

At the beginning of next week, I went about my usual routine and such. As I was finished with classes on Monday and prepared to go straight home, I saw Shuppin rushing to me, as though in a hurry. He caught up to me and said,

"I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to tell you that you got the job."

I was surprised and replied, "Really? That's great but why didn't your boss call me or email me?"

Shuppin shrugged and replied, "He gets so busy so he usually lets me handle these things. I'm taking care of hiring a lot of the new waitresses so yeah, come to the bakery tomorrow afternoon right after school so you can begin training."

I nodded and replied, "I understand and thanks for telling me."

Shuppin replied, "No problem. See you tomorrow."

He waved goodbye to me and then rushed out of the building. I left soon afterwards, feeling excited as I headed home. I had hoped I'd get the bakery job and as luck would have it, I ended up getting hired and that meant that I'd get to hang out with Shuppin more.

After classes were over the next day, I gathered my things and headed out of school, deciding to take the train and head towards the bakery. Although I had considered finding Shuppin first so we might head over there together, I had no idea what his last class was and thought it might take too long to find him. I certainly didn't want to be late on my first day of work so I decided to head over there.

Once I arrived, I saw that Shuppin was already in uniform. He waved over to me and said,

"Hey, Caitlin."

Suddenly, he had this weird look in his eyes and continued, "So…you decided to apply after all, huh."

I raised an eyebrow and wondered to myself,

 _But didn't Shuppin tell me the news yesterday about me getting the job and all? He doesn't seem too happy about it even though he was the one who recommended this job to me in the first place and everything._

I replied, "Uhh…shouldn't I have? This place isn't all that bad, right? And I mean, you've been working here ages, and…"

Shuppin suddenly stuttered, "A-ah, no, it's not that…"

Suddenly, I heard a male voice say, "Miiilaaaniii!"

I thought to myself,

 _Umm who's Milani?_

I turned to the direction of the voice and observed a blonde-haired man with a French accent. He then said something about how he didn't want the newest family member-I guess he meant me-getting the wrong impression about working here.

Shuppin then turned to me and introduced me to Demi and said that he would be my boss.

I nodded and replied, "I did think it was a little weird I hadn't met him yet…after, y'know, having the interview and being hired and all…"

Demi then replied, apologizing to me but explaining that he couldn't handle all of the "mademoiselles" but that he could trust Milani to select the most charming ones. I guessed that Demi meant Shuppin when he called him Milani although I was still confused as to the name change.

I replied, "A-ah, not at all…uh, thanks so much for letting me work here!"

I then observed Shuppin and Demi as they were talking about the number of waitresses who would be hired and such. As I watched, I thought,

 _Shuppin's been working for this guy for this long? Geez._

Demi then turned to me and explained about how they had to turn to "drastic measures" and said that although the culprit might not approve, it had to be done. I glanced at Shuppin and was amazed that he had that kind of appeal although I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised, as I knew that Shuppin was quite popular among the girls in lower school.

Demi then told Shuppin about how I should learn about making coffee, buttering brioches, and such and Shuppin replied in a fake French accent,

"' _Ow to understand your ridiculous, fake accent?'_ "

His voice then resumed its normal accent and he said,

"I swear to god, I hope a real French person comes in here someday."

I couldn't help but giggle at that comment although I covered my mouth so it wouldn't be obvious.

Demi gave a face and then hurried off, telling us to get to work. After he left, I replied,

"Well. He was… _interessant!_ "

Shuppin replied, "Yeah. Just, uh, make sure you never come to work in a skirt."

I gave Shuppin a look and replied, "Why did you offer me this job again?"

Rather than reply to my question, Shuppin simply smirked at me and then he began to explain my duties and showed me how to make coffee, butter the brioches, and such. I spent the first day of work training but fortunately, I got the hang of things quickly so Shuppin nodded in approval and told me that I could start the actual work next week.

After I finished for the day, I waved goodbye to Shuppin and Demi who would handle the remaining customers until it was time to lock up. Although I did feel a little tired, it felt good to be working and earning a little extra money. Besides, the job was only once a week so I certainly could handle it on top of my schoolwork.

 **Chapter 8**

The rest of the week passed by without anything interesting happening and the beginning of the next week was the same. Well, it was, for the most part. As I entered the school building on Monday morning ready to start another week of classes, Alexia found me and quickly dragged me into the girls' bathroom.

Once we were inside and Alexia quickly made sure that no one else was there to eavesdrop, I gave her a look and asked,

"What happened now?"

I expected Alexia to look upset but instead, she gave me this excited look and replied,

"You will never believe what happened in drama club last week!"

Before I even had a chance to reply, Alexia went on, "I won't keep you in suspense. I was practicing lines for Juliet's role and I saw that Lamb was doing the same."

Not knowing who Lamb was, I replied, "Lamb?"

Alexia looked surprised and replied, "You don't know Lamb? Lamb Betchaku? The head of year's daughter?"

Realization dawning on me, I replied, "Ahh yes, I see. I've never met her, though. What about her?"

Alexia replied, "Ok, so I was watching her practicing lines for Juliet's role. I have to watch out for any potential rivals, you know. And then there was that Rhett praising her and that just irked me."

I replied, "I see. So let me guess? You decided to sabotage Lamb so you'd have a better chance of getting the Juliet role?"

Alexia feigned a look of shock but quickly grinning, she replied, "That was my plan, at first. But I didn't want to be downright mean to her, as I heard that she can be mean right back. So I decided to warm up to her and praise her as well. Then she started to notice me and said some nice things about loving my fashion sense…Anyway, on Friday, the most amazing thing happened!"

Alexia sighed happily and I replied, "Ok, so what happened?"

She looked back at me and replied, "Lamb invited me to hang out with her friends and we went to the mall and went shopping but here's the best part. I got to meet her brother!"

I replied, "Uhhh, Lamb has a brother? What's he like?"

Alexia replied, "He's nothing like Lamb. He's quite the hottie and he's way nicer than Rhett. We were flirting and I got his number and he got mine. I can't believe it. I so hope he calls me soon so we can go on a date."

I held my hands up and replied, "Wait, I'm confused. It's obvious that you like Lamb's brother but how old is he? I mean, you should be careful when it comes to dating older guys and all."

Alexia pouted slightly and replied, "He's in his final year of uni so he isn't that much older than us. And man, if you even only glanced at him, you'd see what I mean."

I nodded and replied, "So it sounds like befriending Lamb turned out well after all. Does this mean that getting the Juliet role isn't a big deal anymore?"

Alexia shook her head and replied, "Of course not. I'm still going to try out for Juliet. I need to prove Rhett wrong, after all, but now I have hope again. I was doomed to think that I wouldn't find a hot nice guy around here."

I laughed quietly and replied, "I see. I haven't met Lamb's brother but don't worry-I won't pursue him or anything. You should keep this news to yourself, though, for now. You know how Merle can be when it comes to hot guys."

Alexia replied, "Yeah, that's true. I hadn't thought of that but yeah, there's no reason for Merle to know. Thanks, Caitlin. I wanted to share my happy news with you."

I grinned and replied, "No worries. I hope everything works out well for you and this guy, and good luck with drama, too."

The bell rang, signaling that it was time for students to get to their classes, and I took it as a signal to head to my first class quickly. Alexia and I waved goodbye to each other and parted as we each headed to different classes.

On Wednesday, I headed off to music club after classes were over and seeing that Petime was already in the music room, she and I got a chance to chat and catch up. I was sad that the two of us didn't have any classes together but at least it was nice to have music club. As we chatted, I thought about something and said,

"Lemme ask you a question, Petime."

Petime looked at me curiously, wondering what I was going to ask. So I continued, "What kind of people would you like to join the club? If you could take your pick, I mean?"

Petime looked surprised by my question and replied that she would be happy to take anyone who wanted to join. However, she quickly added that she would prefer Sixth Form students since she wouldn't be able to handle younger students so well.

I nodded, understanding what she meant. Then Petime looked at me and asked,

"Would you have any preference as to prospective members?"

I looked thoughtful, as I wondered who I would want to join as well. Then I remembered the conversations I had with Shuppin and he had brought up the subject of music and suddenly, I had my answer. I looked happily at Petime and replied,

"I'd welcome any students as well but I think we should try and get some guys to sign up!"

Then I went on to explain how getting some male students would balance out the club a bit, although I decided to keep the idea of having Shuppin possibly join to myself for now. Also, I told Petime about how I knew a few guys who might be able to join, at least once in a while.

Petime blushed for a few moments although I wasn't sure why. She then replied,

"I'm afraid I will be little help in that regard-I am not especially familiar with any of the male students here…"

I nodded and replied, "I gotta admit, you seem more like a… _girly girl_. I couldn't really imagine you hanging out with loads of guys!"

Petime and I continued our conversation, with Petime talking about the male friends she had back in Denmark and how she sees them once a year. Our conversation continued for a while and although I definitely wanted more guys to join, I told her that I'd be on the lookout for more girls as well and Petime replied that she could help find more girls as well. As music club ended later that day, Petime thanked me for taking the initiative to recruit more members and smiling at her, I replied that it wasn't a problem and that I hoped we'd get lots of new members soon. Then we parted ways, heading home, as the sun was beginning to set and evening was arriving.

The next day, as I was hanging out in the common room, I was finishing up my work for the day and fortunately, I'd made a lot of progress that afternoon. After getting as much work done as I could, I set aside my study materials, stretched out my arms, and thought about going on my laptop and checking out FaceMate, as the school's Internet connection was pretty decent. After all, I deserved a much needed break after getting all that work done. As I was busy on my computer, my ears suddenly overheard a conversation between Merle and Marius. Wondering what was going on, I decided to listen in, forgetting about going on my computer. I was confused about the topic of their conversation, as I heard words like "barns" and "cows." It's not like we live in the countryside or anything like that.

So deciding to interrupt their conversation, I said,

"I really have no idea what you guys are on about. What are you up to anyway, Merle?"

Merle turned to me and replied that they were just talking about the usual "FaceMate reconnaissance." Then she went on, talking about the latest gossip going around in school. As I didn't usually pay attention to this kind of news, I decided to zone out for a bit.

Suddenly, Merle looked at me with surprise and said, "Oh my god! Oh my god, Caitlin, have you seen this?!"

I looked back at Merle and replied, "Huh? What is it…?"

Merle replied, "Apparently, Lamb Betchaku's throwing a Halloween party-she's got an open invitation up here!"

As Alexia was in the common room with us as well, she overheard our conversation and approaching us, she replied, "Really? Why didn't Lamb tell me?"

Merle looked at Alexia weirdly and replied, "Why would she tell you? Are you two friends or something?"

Alexia laughed a bit nervously, as though she suddenly remembered that Merle and Lamb didn't get along. I remember hearing about that piece of news sometime back although I didn't know the whole story behind their dislike. Alexia waved her right hand dismissively and replied,

"Oh not really. It's a long story. I'll tell you later."

Merle nodded and turning back to me, she then said, "I know I'd be willing to put aside my hatred aside for a few hours, especially if it means I get to dress up and possibly shove some of her silverware down my costume!"

I thought to myself,

 _So Merle wants to go to Lamb's Halloween party to steal from her? Great._

Merle then continued, "Okay, we're totally going to this. I'm going to get my costume, like, right now."

Although I liked the idea of going to a Halloween party and getting dressed up and such, I replied,

"It does sound pretty fun…are we even invited, though? I mean, I'm sure you guys are fine." I looked at both Merle and Alexia since they knew Lamb personally before continuing,

"But I don't even have her added on FaceMate."

Merle looked at me and replied about how an open invitation was fair game and that besides, I could be her plus one or something.

I replied, "Well, uh, thanks!"

Merle then looked at Marius to ask if he was going and he replied that he'd be there and that he'd try to get Shuppin there as well, if he could stay awake or something. I smiled a bit, thinking to myself that the party could be quite fun if Shuppin were there, too, and we could get a chance to chat. Then Merle shouted at Dys, asking her if she was going to Lamb's party as well. After Dys lectured her a bit about shouting in the common room, Dys had on this mischievous smile and replied that she'd be there, as there was no way she'd pass up on visiting her lair.

Dys then turned to Alexia and me and asked, "Oh, Caitlin, Alexia, you don't have a costume yet, either, do you?"

I shook my head, replying that I had no idea where I could buy a costume.

Dys replied about how the four of us could go costume shopping tomorrow evening, as the owner of La Dauphine sometimes runs a Halloween stall and how we could find some good costumes there.

Enthusiastically, Merle replied, "Ooh, this is gonna be ace! Let me just take down her address, and-"

As Merle stopped speaking, I wondered what happened and saw that she suddenly turned to Marius, who had somehow gotten onto Merle's computer during our conversation and was doing some things that involved "raising cows" and getting "experience points" or something of the sort. As I then turned to Alexia, the two of us talked about how fun it would be to go to Lamb's Halloween party although I noticed a certain twinkle in her eyes. I could guess that there was another reason that she wanted to go but I certainly couldn't blame her. I had my reasons for going, too, and hoped to see a certain someone there.

 **Chapter 9**

The next evening, Merle, Dys, Alexia, and I met at La Dauphine to buy our Halloween costumes. As I was deciding on which costume to buy, I observed Merle and Dys and quietly wondered to myself how they ended up being friends when their interests and tastes were different. However, then I thought to myself that perhaps they have a friendship that's similar to Alexia's and mine and that would make sense. The four of us finished choosing our costumes although we decided not to tell each other what we had chosen until the Halloween party.

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. I continued to hang out with Shuppin at the bakery, chatting with him during his break and getting to know him better. Meanwhile, I had found out that Alexia was spending her weekends practicing for the Juliet role. Without a doubt, she was determined to get that role. Even if it wasn't for Rhett pushing her buttons, Alexia wanted to be taken as a serious actress so I knew and understood her dedication and passion for theater.

At the beginning of next week, things looked to be uneventful. Alexia hadn't sought me out like she'd usually do which made me wonder if there was anything unusual going on. However, I didn't have much time to think about it when I began to notice that my relationship with Shuppin began to change. In the beginning, I'd have to seek him out to start a friendly conversation unless he needed to talk to me about something. But now, he was seeking me out, wanting to chat about trivial things. Also, he began to compliment me and he clearly began to take notice of me. At the very least, I could say that we were becoming better friends.

On Wednesday afternoon, I decided to begin my search for new members for the music club. First, I found Merle and tried to persuade her to join but she only made this remark about how she was already in netball and how I should join. I tuned her out mostly until the part where she mentioned about Petime being "dangerous." That worried me a little but then I remembered that this was Merle and she tended to exaggerate things so I decided not to give her words another thought.

Then I decided to go outside on the track field, thinking that perhaps Marius might want to join the music club. It would be better than having to exercise outside in the cold weather, I thought. So I sought him out and once I found him, we began to talk and I said,

"And so, if you could take a day or two off every now and again to come down to the Music Club, that'd really help us out!"

Marius looked surprised and after making a couple of remarks, he asked, "You actually play an instrument?"

I pouted and replied, "Don't act so surprised! I'll have you know I can tap a mean cymbal when I need to!"

Marius then replied about how the athletics captain wouldn't be too pleased if he missed practice but then said how I could bring my cymbals out on the field and cheer him on, which made me roll my eyes. He then continued,

"Heh. Why are you asking me anyway? Hate to admit it, but I've got the musical ability of a spoon. I'd have thought you'd be after Shuppin first, what with his dad owning a music shop and all."

In truth, I did consider asking Shuppin first, remembering our conversations about him wanting to go to music school and all. However, I wanted to see if I could get at least one or two guys first to join before asking Shuppin. However, I was surprised to hear that Shuppin's dad was the owner of a music shop and replied like so. Marius nodded and replied,

"Mmhmm-at the Arndale, in town. If he's not here or at the bakery, Shuppin's probably helping out there. Or asleep. But hey, you might get lucky."

I grinned and replied, "Wow, thanks! I'd guess that'd make him my prime candidate then, heh! I'll, ahh, let you get back to your workout."

However, Marius didn't look too pleased that I was letting him get back to his practice. After I waved goodbye and headed back inside the school building, I contemplated about asking Shuppin and without a doubt, I'd definitely make it a point to ask him. Although Shuppin might very well be beyond Petime's and my musical levels, it certainly couldn't hurt to talk to him about the idea.

On Friday evening, Alexia and I took the train, heading to Lamb's house for the Halloween party. The two of us were chatting excitedly along the way and of course, we were already wearing our costumes. Alexia had chosen a sexy black kitty leopard costume while I had chosen a beautiful innocent fairy costume. I loved the costume and thought that perhaps Shuppin would love it, too. As Alexia knew the way to Lamb's place, I simply followed her lead.

Looking all excited, Alexia said, "This is going to be great. I can't wait to see Beck again."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically and replied, "You really think Lamb's brother is going to be there? I mean, this is a party for people younger than him so we'd be like kids to him."

Alexia frowned a bit and replied, "Beck doesn't see me as a kid although…"

As I noticed that Alexia had trailed off, I replied, "Hey, is there anything the matter?"

Alexia shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I was hoping that Beck would have called me by now and asked me out or something but I guess it's too soon for that."

I nodded and replied, "That's true and you haven't known him for long, right?"

Alexia sighed and replied, "I guess…"

I replied, "Is there something else? I don't know but I get this feeling that you're feeling a little down and it's not just because of Beck."

Alexia gave me a small smile and replied, "Guess I can't fool you so I might as well tell you before Merle or Dys start wondering what's up." She took a deep breath and then continued,

"It's probably nothing but lately, Rhett's been giving me these intense looks during drama."

I replied, "Wait, so you're saying that Rhett's being a creep?"

Alexia immediately shook her head and replied, "No, that's not it. He's not being a stalker or anything like that. But it's like ever since I met Beck, Rhett doesn't upset me as much as he used to and it's like he's noticed or something. I don't know what to make of his looks towards me."

I looked thoughtful and replied, "Hmm, I wouldn't know, either. I could find out if you'd like. I could just ask him or something-."

Alexia replied, "No, Caitlin, don't do that. He'll just go back to being a jerk towards me and I'll get angry all over again."

I nodded and replied, "Ok but now that you've brought this up, I'm going to do a bit of investigating on my own. Don't worry-I won't confront him about what you told me. I'll talk to some of our classmates and friends and find out if they know what certain looks of his mean. That way, I could figure out why he's giving you a certain look. Will that do?"

Alexia replied, "Sure, that'll be all right. Thanks, Caitlin. You're the best when it comes to talking about these things."

I smiled and replied, "No problem. You'd do the same for me if there was anything I needed to tell you."

The two of us continued to chat, changing the subject back to the Halloween party and Lamb's house. After we got off at the stop, we headed towards the street where Lamb's house was. Once we arrived, I immediately noticed how packed the house and it didn't escape my notice that many of the girls were wearing outfits that were similar to Alexia's. However, it didn't make me feel self-conscious or anything. I didn't regret my choice of outfit and told myself that I'd certainly stand out, if nothing else.

Alexia and I looked around for Merle and Dys, figuring that they were already at the party. Soon, we found them and I exclaimed,

"Oh hey, Merle, Dys! You guys look amazing!"

I observed that Merle had worn a sexy tabby kitty outfit that was very similar to Alexia's while Dys was wearing what appeared to be a simple peasant's outfit that looked to be from around the Renaissance period or so. The four of us chatted for a bit, complimenting each other's costumes and making idle chitchat. Then Merle noticed something unpleasant and said,

"Ooh, heads up-Bitchaku, nine o'clock. I think that might be our cue to disappear into the kitchen…I hear that's where all the action is, anyway!"

I thought to myself,

 _Yup, Merle definitely can't stand Lamb._

Dys sighed and agreed with Merle to disappear for a while. She then turned to Alexia and me and said,

"She doesn't hate _you_ two, though, so you should be fine-come and find us later on, okay?"

I nodded and replied, "Sure, we'll do that."

After Merle and Dys disappeared into the kitchen to avoid Lamb, Alexia turned to me and said, "I'll go say hi to Lamb and find out if Beck's here. Let's meet up later, ok?"

Before I had a chance to reply, Alexia headed towards Lamb to chat with her, leaving me all alone. I decided that I might as well have a chance to enjoy the party, even if I was all by myself. Fortunately, I wasn't alone for long, as a familiar voice said,

"Hey, Caitlin. I wondered whether you might be here."

As I turned around towards the sound of the voice, I smiled as I saw someone I had hoped to see and replied,

"Oh hey, Shuppin! Marius said you might come. You enjoying the festivities…?"

Shuppin nodded and replied that he was although he had spent most of the time touring Lamb's house, noting that there were six bathrooms. He then commented,

"But anyway…your costume's really awesome, Caitlin-uh, I'm really liking the wings."

I was happy to hear Shuppin compliment my costume and replied, "Really? Everyone else seems to think I look like an eight-year old…"

Shuppin shook his head and replied, "What? No way-you look really classy and ethereal-like, y'know? It's really well made, too-those wings must have taken forever!"

I felt myself blushing and replied, "Well, uh, thanks, I guess!"

Then I thought to myself about how Shuppin didn't need to know that I didn't make the wings but rather bought them as well as the entire costume itself. Then I turned to Shuppin and replied,

"Well, anyway, your costume's really awesome, Shuppin!"

Shuppin replied that it was all right if I told him the truth about his costume-that it looked like a "train wreck." However, I shook my head and replied,

"I _am_ telling the truth! I think you make a really good…"

For a moment, I thought about what Shuppin came dressed as and then continued,

"Roman!"

Shuppin looked relieved that I had guessed correctly and commented about how, in the movies, actors portraying Romans wore costumes similar to his. I grinned and replied happily in turn and the two of us continued to chat away like so. After a while of chatting, Shuppin said,

"Anyway, I guess I'd better get going…I've been trying to keep moving…there's this group of girls who keep trying to look down my toga, I don't want them pinpointing my location. It was nice seeing you anyway, Caitlin."

I replied, "Ah, same! Hope you have a good night!"

As Shuppin left, I smiled to myself and felt like giggling happily although I restrained myself. I was happy to see Shuppin and to talk to him, even though we couldn't chat for long. As the party began to wind down, I looked around for Alexia and soon found her. Immediately, I wanted to ask her if she had found Beck but before she could reply, Dys approached us and said,

"You two ready? The trains will have stopped by now, so we're going to split a taxi."

I nodded and replied, "Ah, yeah, sure, we'll be right there!"

I briefly glanced at Alexia and knew that I wouldn't be able to press her for information then. I decided to wait until we were alone to find out if anything had happened and judging by Alexia's demeanor, I had a feeling that something had happened although I had no idea what. However, I'd have to wait for my curiosity to be satisfied. So after we met with Merle, the four of us went outside to hail a taxi and then we climbed in, feeling exhausted but happy. As Merle and Dys chatted on about how fun the party was, who was there, etc., with Alexia occasionally joining in, I smiled to myself, as I thought about Shuppin and how happy I was that I saw him at the party. It definitely was an eventful night and I had a feeling that it was only the beginning of more to come.

 **Chapter 10**

The next day, I woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning. Briefly, I stretched out my arms and then quickly did my morning routine, washing up, getting dressed, and having breakfast. Once I was finished, I quickly checked my emails like usual but instead of dropping by the bakery, I wanted to go to the Arndale. Since I had some money saved up now from working at the bakery, I thought it was time to buy some new clothes.

As I was on the train heading towards the stop where I'd head to the mall, I thought about Alexia and couldn't help but worry about her. I'd considered calling her before I left to see if everything was ok but knowing how serious she was about wanting the Juliet role, I thought that she might not want to take any calls. However, I wouldn't forget to talk to her about what happened to her at the Halloween party, as I felt like something had happened to her while we were separated.

After entering the Arndale, I immediately headed towards Boutique Tide, as there were some punk shirts and pants that I really wanted to buy. As I was busy with my shopping, I briefly looked up and noticed that Alexia was in the shop as well. Although Alexia loved to shop more than me, I was surprised to see her, as I thought she'd be busy rehearsing for the play. Not wanting the opportunity to pass by me, though, I approached her and said,

"Hey, Alexia. I'm surprised to see you here."

Alexia then noticed me and giving me a small smile, she replied, "Yeah, I could say the same about you. I didn't take you for a shopaholic."

I pouted slightly and replied, "Hey, it's not like I never shop for new clothes. I have some money saved up now so I thought I needed to expand my wardrobe."

Alexia looked at me teasingly and replied, "Oh? Is there a guy you're trying to impress or something?"

I felt my cheeks warm, as I couldn't help but wonder if Alexia somehow had found out that I was hanging around Shuppin. However, I remembered why I wanted to talk to Alexia and using that reason, I replied,

"Are you trying to deflect attention onto me or what? You're not getting out of this, you know. I want to find out what happened to you last night."

Not realizing that I had used a somewhat sneaky attack on her, Alexia sighed and replied, "You mean the party, huh? But umm, let's talk somewhere else. Get a table or something."

I nodded, agreeing to Alexia's idea. So after we finished shopping for clothes and paid for our purchases, we left the shop and headed towards the smoothie stand to buy a couple of smoothies for ourselves. Then we snagged a table nearby and after we were both seated, I looked at Alexia and gently said,

"Ok, now what happened last night? We were separated for a while."

Alexia took a breath and replied, "Well, you remember that I wanted to talk to Lamb and try to find Beck if I could?"

I nodded and Alexia continued,

"So yeah, I chatted with Lamb for a while and then while she was taking care of something-well, she found out about Merle and Dys crashing the party and was determined to find them-this mysterious stranger approached me and took my picture. He'd been taking pictures of a lot of the girls last night."

I raised my right eyebrow, as that didn't happen to me. However, I was busy chatting with Shuppin so this stranger might have realized that and avoided me.

Alexia then said, "I figured out right away that it was Beck. This stranger was about the same height as him and even though he tried to disguise his voice, I could tell that it was Beck. I called him out on his identity and he admitted that it was him but pleaded that I not say anything. I figured there was no harm in keeping this secret so why not? Anyhow, we continued to chat but then I noticed Rhett. He was standing a little away from us but he was looking at Beck and giving him these dirty looks although Beck didn't notice. Well, if he did notice, he didn't care."

Alexia sighed and said, "I don't know what to make of Rhett. I'm so confused."

I thought about Alexia's situation and after a couple of minutes of silence, I replied, "Well, if I didn't know any better, I'd think that Rhett was jealous. I mean, this kind of thing happens on TV so it might make sense?"

Alexia looked at me in disbelief and replied, "No way. Rhett's not the jealous type and he doesn't even like me. At least I don't think he does."

I replied, "Maybe he does like you. You told me yesterday that Rhett's been giving you these intense looks. He may actually like you or at least admire you but perhaps hasn't had the courage to say anything to you about it yet. Of course, I could be completely wrong here. As I said yesterday, I'll do some investigation but I won't confront Rhett about it."

I paused for a few moments and then quietly said, "If Rhett does like you, would that be a problem? Since you like Beck and all."

Alexia sighed and replied, "If I knew for sure that Beck liked me back, then yeah, it would be. But as it is, I don't know if he likes me like I like him. We do have fun flirting together but is that all we'll end up doing? If Rhett does like me, he wouldn't be like Beck. He'd probably want to date seriously and I'd like that."

I gave Alexia a quick hug and replied, "Hey, I'm sorry things are so complicated for you right now. I'll do what I can to help."

Alexia smiled at me and replied, "Thanks, Caitlin. You truly are the most wonderful best friend ever. And hey, I'm sorry about teasing you earlier. It'd be nice if there was a guy that you liked as much as I like Beck. You deserve to be happy."

I smiled a little shyly and replied, "Thanks, Alexia. If there is such a guy, you'd be the first one I'd tell, ok?"

Although there definitely was a special guy for me, I didn't want to tell Alexia yet, as I knew she had her own problems to deal with and I didn't know exactly how things were between Shuppin and me, except that we were becoming closer friends.

On Monday morning, I entered the school building, ready to start another week of classes. I had a few things on my mind which included figuring out the deal with Rhett, persuading Shuppin to join the music club, and so forth. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that when I heard my name being called out in the hallway, I didn't know who it was at first. As the voice continued to call out to me, I snapped out of my thoughts and looking up, I turned to the direction of the voice and smiled. Seeing Shuppin, I approached him as well and gave him a small wave. Shuppin smiled at me and said,

"Hey, Caitlin. I missed seeing you on Saturday. Were you busy?"

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, kind of. I decided to go shopping and then ran into Alexia and well, you can figure out how preoccupied I was after."

Shuppin nodded and replied, "Yeah, I understand. It's not the same, though. But umm, if you do get too busy to come by the bakery, you can call me so we can meet somewhere after work. I'll make time for you."

I blushed slightly and replied, "Thanks. I might just take you up on that offer."

Remembering that I wanted to recruit Shuppin to the music club, I was about to bring up the topic when the bell rang to warn us to head on to our classes. I sighed inwardly, figuring that I'd have to find another chance to recruit Shuppin. Shuppin smiled and said,

"We don't want to be late so we should head on to homeroom."

I nodded and the two of us headed to homeroom and then afterwards to our classes for the day. Although I'd missed my chance to recruit Shuppin, I reminded myself to talk to him again at the next opportunity and figure out a way to persuade him to join the music club.

The next couple of days passed by uneventfully and the rest of the week would have been the same had it not been for an encounter with a certain redhead on Thursday afternoon. As it was raining quite hard and cold and I wasn't feeling quite up to taking the train to head on home after classes, I decided to go to the library to get some homework and studying done. Feeling relieved to be sheltered from the weather for a bit, I looked around the library, hoping to find an empty table. However, all the tables were full. As I walked around, though, I noticed one table was fairly empty, save for one Rhett Sugden. Although I promised Alexia that I wouldn't confront Rhett about his behavior towards Alexia, I figured it couldn't hurt to try to get to know the guy and figure him out. Approaching his table, I took an empty seat and said,

"I hope you don't mind if I sit here. There's nowhere else to sit and there's no way I'm going back out in that rain again."

Without waiting for Rhett's reply, I then sat down and took out my books and such to study. I noticed the book that Rhett was reading and commented, "That's for English class, right? Mr. Mackham didn't give us any reading assignments, did he?"

Rhett looked at me and replied, "No, but it doesn't hurt to get ahead, beret."

I replied, "Umm, beret?"

Rhett rolled his eyes at me and replied, "You're wearing a beret. Why else would I be calling you that?"

I scowled under my breath and ignored him. Although it hadn't even been two minutes, I was already getting annoyed by Rhett and decided to just focus on my homework instead. Inside, I wondered how Alexia could tolerate him but remembering our conversations about Rhett, I knew that Alexia barely tolerated him and that was only because she was driven to succeed in theater and she wouldn't let anyone or anything stop her. Then I remembered our conversation on Saturday and wondered if Alexia was starting to like Rhett better. I hadn't thought about that possibility until I asked Alexia whether she'd be ok if Rhett liked her and she replied with how she'd like to be dating seriously and Rhett did seem like that kind of guy who would. I must have been preoccupied with these thoughts for a while since I suddenly heard Rhett cough a bit and he said,

"You're Alexia's friend, aren't you?"

I raised my right eyebrow and replied, "Yeah and we have English and art classes together. So what?"

Rhett was quiet and he looked as though he were thinking his next words carefully. He then replied, "Does Alexia like theater a lot?"

Surprised by his question, I nodded and replied, "Yeah, Alexia has this incredible passion for theater. I've known her for years, and she loves being on the stage. She wants to be a serious actress although really, she could do anything. She's quite smart, too. She can keep up with her studies but umm, why are you asking me? Shouldn't you ask her these things?"

Rhett gave me a slight scowl and replied, "It's not like I haven't tried but it looks like she's doing her best to avoid me. She leaves drama club as soon as it's over."

I smirked and replied, "It's obvious why she's avoiding you, isn't it?" Realizing that I had let the comment unintentionally slip out, I quickly replied, "Uhh just ignore that."

Rhett looked like he definitely wasn't going to ignore what I said and replied, "I can't ignore that." He then got suddenly quiet and almost in a whisper, he asked, "Does she hate me?"

I replied, "Umm, no, I don't think so…"

I promised that I wouldn't confront Rhett about his behavior towards Alexia although it was getting harder not to. Rhett then looked at me and replied,

"So what is it then?"

I wondered what to do. I had to figure out a way to reply to Rhett's question without betraying Alexia's confidence. Figuring out the answer, I replied,

"Rhett, tell me something. How do you feel about Alexia?"

Rhett looked surprised by my question and after a few thoughtful moments, he replied, "I admire her. At first, I thought she was like all those other girls who joined the drama club for the wrong reasons but then I quickly realized she wasn't like that. I like how hard she works and I'm certain that she'd get the role of Juliet if she wanted it. But don't tell her that. I'm not…supposed to pick favorites although I'm not saying Alexia's my favorite."

I smiled a little and replied, "I understand. So I'm guessing that you like her enough to perhaps be friends with her? And if that is the case, I'd suggest that you try to be more open and friendly to her. If you keep your feelings secretive, she might get the wrong idea. She likes to know where she stands with people, if you catch my drift."

Rhett nodded slowly and replied, "Yes, that makes sense." Rhett packed up his things, preparing to leave the library. Just as he was about to go, he briefly turned to me and said,

"Thanks for the advice. You're not half-bad, beret."

I scowled but before I could reply, Rhett left the library, leaving me alone. Although I did feel annoyed at the way Rhett addressed me, it was interesting to find out that Rhett seemed interested in Alexia. I wondered if I should tell Alexia what happened but seeing that it was getting late, I decided to pack up as well and head towards the train station to head on home. I decided to ponder over the decision later and would probably figure it out the next time I saw her.

 **Chapter 11**

Despite Shuppin's offer to hang out on Saturdays after he was done with work, I decided to spend the weekend studying at home. As there was only a month left before mock exams, I wanted to prepare as much as I could. I had heard that anyone who did terribly on their mock exams would be forced to take remedial classes and I certainly didn't want that to be my fate. So I sent a text to Shuppin apologizing ahead of time that I'd be unable to see him because of mock exams and he replied that he understood and that he'd see me at work the next week.

After classes were over on Tuesday, I headed immediately to the bakery to begin my shift. Of course, Shuppin was there and we got caught up over what happened to us over the weekend. It was a pretty boring weekend for the both of us, as I had spend the weekend studying and Shuppin had spent it working at the bakery and helping out his dad at the music shop.

As work was winding down for the day, Shuppin turned to me and asked,

"You done for the day?"

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, just got to get this cleaned up, and I'm done. There's a lot less mess than usual, to be honest! And I haven't managed to stab anything in ages…"

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Yeah, you've improved a lot, Caitlin. Not that you weren't decent before. But…yeah, you're loads better."

I smiled bashfully and replied, "Umm…thanks, I think!"

Suddenly, Demi approached us and replied that he agreed with Shuppin except for one point. I looked at Demi in confusion and he continued,

"Those clothes…zey are such a waste!"

I looked down at my clothes and replied, "My clothes? Um, I'm sorry; I don't really understand…this is just the uniform I was given, right?"

Demi looked at my trousers and commented about how they were such a waste on me, what with me being a "petite mademoiselle" and all.

I then was surprised when he continued, "Far better to wear, I don't know…une petite skirt, with pleats, maybe…cut a little above the knee…maybe fix, six inches…"

Shuppin gave a look at Demi and replied, "You know, she could probably sue you for even suggesting that."

Inside, I thought the same and was relieved when Shuppin had the same thought.

Demi winked at Shuppin and playfully replied on how Shuppin would enjoy such a scene which gave me an idea.

I looked at Shuppin and teasingly replied, "Would you really enjoy it, Shuppin?"

Shuppin looked surprised by my question and I continued, "Oh, you know, me in a little pleated number…thigh-socks…young, pink flanks on full display."

Shuppin was so speechless by that point that I could help laughing a bit and added,

"Calm down. I'm just kidding! It's not like I have the money to buy little pleated skirts anytime I wish. There's always my school skirt, though…"

Demi had watched the conversation between Shuppin and me, and he commented about being in heaven. Shuppin then gave him this dirty look and replied, "I'll gladly punch you."

Quickly, I covered my mouth to muffle the laugh that was coming out. Demi then turned to Shuppin and commented on how he shouldn't pass up an opportunity when a girl flirts with him and then he turned to me and said,

"And shame on you, Caitlin, playing with 'im like that! Milani is but a fragile thing!"

I nodded and playfully replied, "Heh, I'll have to be gentler in the future."

Shuppin then commented that he had to leave and then he quickly left before the conversation could turn any more awkward. However, I couldn't really blame him. I did make a mental note to myself regarding how Shuppin could be when it comes to flirting, thinking that this information might be useful in the future.

The next day, after classes were over, I decided to head on over to the Arndale to find the music shop that Shuppin's dad owned. I learned that Shuppin worked there on Wednesdays occasionally so I hoped that I'd be able to run into him there. Once I arrived at the mall, I walked about until I found a small indie music shop, as I discovered that's where Shuppin might be. I entered the shop and looking around, I thought,

 _Wow…it's no wonder I'd never seen this place before. It's pretty…underwhelming, to tell you the truth! Though, hey, I'm hardly an expert-maybe all indie shops look like this…?_

As I continued with my thoughts, I realized how empty the shop was and thought that perhaps Shuppin might not be working here today. Sighing inwardly in disappointment, I was about to leave when I heard a male voice say,

"Hmm…let's see…light, rosewood fretboard, narrow…humbucker pickups… _perfect_!"

Confused, I turned in the direction of the voice and found the owner of the voice. From the way Shuppin had described his dad to me on our previous dates, I figured out that the voice belonged to him. Shuppin's dad then continued on about matching the perfect guitar for me. He continued to go on and on and I figured that I needed to stop him soon, as I wasn't looking to buy a guitar. So finally, I said,

"U-uh, well, actually, I didn't come here for-."

Shuppin's dad then continued to talk about guitars and thought I was one of those customers who had knowledge about them and knew exactly what I wanted. As much as I didn't want to, I had to interrupt him by saying,

"I-I don't want a guitar!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I finally got the words out. Shuppin's dad looked at me all confused but before he could reply, as I had a feeling he would continue to talk about guitars and try to persuade me into buying one, I continued,

"Um, actually, I'm really not here to buy anything. I was just wondering, uh…is Shuppin Marchelaure working here today?"

Shuppin's dad sighed and replied, "Should've guessed, to be honest. And here I thought he might actually be at school for once."

Quickly realizing that Shuppin might get into trouble later because his dad thought that he'd be at school studying instead of elsewhere, I replied,

"Oops…I mean, uh, really? Because to be fair, we get Wednesdays off…"

However, Shuppin didn't look convinced and replied, "Mmhmm. I've heard that one before."

He then looked pleadingly at me and said, "You sure you don't want to buy anything? We've got chart singles on special offer. Posters, buy one get one free? Do us a favor and take one of those mandolins, would you…?"

I looked apologetically at Shuppin's dad and replied that I was a lost cause, as I certainly wasn't ready to tackle an instrument with strings and bows.

Shuppin's dad sighed and replied, "Eh, well…can't blame a guy for trying. Try not to nick anything on your way out, ok?"

He then quickly left to take care of something and although I could have taken the opportunity to leave the shop, I thought that it might be a good idea to try to get on Shuppin's dad's good side and asked,

"W-wait! Is that a _violin_ I see over there?"

Shuppin's dad immediately came back and apologized for misjudging me. Then he started rambling on about the violin and I sighed inwardly. Although I would have to deal with listening to him ramble on about instruments for a while, I figured that it would be worth it later.

 **Chapter 12**

The next couple of days passed uneventfully and although I tried to find opportunities to talk to Shuppin about joining the music club, I was never able to chat with him for long before we had classes or something else to attend. I would have talked to him about it on Saturday but Alexia had caught me on Friday afternoon to ask if I wanted to study at her house on the weekend for mock exams. As I thought it was a good idea and a good opportunity to catch up with Alexia, I agreed.

So on Saturday, after I woke up, had breakfast and finished my morning routine, I took my backpack and headed over to Alexia's. Fortunately, her house wasn't far so I arrived there after 10 minutes. Alexia greeted me at the front door and then we went upstairs to her room to study. We studied for a couple of hours, testing each other on various subjects and getting some massive studying done. Then we had lunch down in the kitchen and as the two of us had the house all to ourselves, I took it as a prime opportunity to catch up on the latest news.

As Alexia and I were eating, I looked at her and casually asked, "So how have things with you been going this week? I've hardly had time to talk to you since last weekend other than schoolwork, of course."

Alexia smiled and replied, "Things are getting much better."

I gave Alexia a look, prompting her to continue. She then said,

"It's weird but Rhett's been opening up to me more. He's been helping me for the Juliet role and he's been nicer to me. I wonder what happened. But he isn't so bad now."

I replied, "So you're changing your mind about him?"

Alexia nodded and replied, "Yeah, a bit. I'm being cautious, though. Maybe Rhett was just having a good week and felt like being nice or something. I guess I'll see how long that lasts."

I laughed a bit and replied, "Yeah, you could be right about that. And how are things on the Beck front?"

Alexia looked slightly saddened and replied, "The same. We haven't talked since the Halloween party. I asked Lamb a bit about him and she said that he's like that. He's not the kind of guy to go after a girl since a lot of girls go after him. Some of them are downright aggressive. I don't know if I can be like that."

I thought about Alexia's situation for a few moments and then replied, "So if you want a relationship with Beck, you might have to ask him out on a date?"

Alexia nodded and replied, "Yeah, I think that might be it but I don't know if I can do that. Maybe I should just forget about him. He may not be worth pursuing and Rhett has been nicer to me and I could see him and me dating…maybe."

Alexia looked at me as though she wanted my advice and taking the hint, I replied,

"I'm not sure how to help you on this one. If you really like Beck, I think you might try to ask him out once or twice and see how it goes? But maybe you should wait a little longer before doing so. I mean, we do have mock exams coming soon after all."

Alexia laughed and replied, "Yeah, that's true. Rhett mentioned about them, too, and he told me how the role of Juliet should go to someone who's not only theatrically talented for it but someone who can keep up with her studies. I guess he was giving me a big hint there but yeah, you're right. I shouldn't even think about dating or guys until after mocks."

I nodded and replied, "Yup and speaking of mocks, we should get back to studying."

Alexia replied, "Yeah. Let's clean up here and then we can quiz each other some more."

The two of us then finished up our lunch, washed the plates, utensils, and glasses, and then headed back upstairs to Alexia's room to study for the rest of the afternoon.

On Wednesday the next week, I decided to head to the Arndale again after school. I hoped to see Shuppin at his dad's music shop this time and once I arrived, I was fortunate enough to find him right away. Smiling at me, Shuppin said,

"So…you're more into music than you let on, right?"

Shyly, I replied, "I, uh, guess you could say that…"

Shuppin gave me a slight smirk and replied, "It's just that I heard 'some girl in a beret' was giving my dad a hard time the other week-he was really put out he couldn't convince you to buy anything, you know. Those mandolins really have been there forever."

I thought to myself,

 _Why doesn't Shuppin's dad simply sell those mandolins back to the retailer? He'd probably make more money that way._

Instead, I smiled and replied, "Heh, sorry about that. Your dad was a little… _enthusiastic._ He was pretty hard to refuse! Not that I don't like music or anything. Because, y'know. Can't keep me away from an instrument too long."

Looking surprised, Shuppin asked, "Oh? You play an instrument?"

I nodded and replied at how it was really more a "work-in-progress" although I was doing my best to learn the piano as much as I could.

Shuppin replied, "Well, that's nice to know. Business isn't really so great here-the tracks are dirt cheap, but there's hardly anyone ever buying 'em. That and Dad's sales technique might need a bit of work."

Again, I thought to myself,

 _His sales technique needs a major overhaul. It doesn't help when he's talking the customers' ears off._

Shuppin then asked, "What kind of stuff are you into, anyway? We've got an entire library just gathering dust in the back, if there's anything you're after."

Seeing my opportunity finally, I replied, "Well, I had an ulterior motive for coming down here. You know I'm in the school's music club, right?"

Surprised, Shuppin replied, "We have a music club? When did that happen?"

I replied, "Well, that's the thing y'see-we're relatively new, and at the moment it's just the two of us diligently working away…we were kinda wondering if an expert such as yourself wouldn't be interested in joining us every once in a while?"

Shuppin hesitantly replied, "Eh...I wouldn't really call myself an expert, but…"

I gave a cute look and replied, "Oh, come on-everyone knows you're amazing! Petime's always going on about you; I think you're like her _muse_ or something!"

Confused, Shuppin asked, "Ah…who?"

Thinking it unusual that Shuppin didn't know Petime as I thought it was pretty clear that Petime knew him, I replied, "Petime? Petime Rastegar? I don't know if you two have spoken or anything but she thinks you're the best. And, uh, obviously I don't think you're half bad either…"

Shuppin gave a hesitant look and replied, "I don't know…I'll have to think about it. It's just that I'm pretty busy most of the time, what with work, and looking after this place…But I'm glad you think I'm 'not half bad,' anyway."

I replied, "Well, you just think about that. I'm gonna take a look at that library you mentioned."

As I went ahead to take a look at the collection of music that Shuppin mentioned earlier, I thought that it would take more effort on my part to persuade Shuppin to join the music club. I pondered over what I could do but then the answer hit me. I told myself that I just needed to get closer to Shuppin and get to know him even better and perhaps then he'll want to join. It would take more work but the reward would be worth it, for sure.

The rest of the week went by smoothly and on Saturday, Alexia and I spent the day studying for mocks again. We quizzed each other and Alexia took a break to show me her planned audition for the Juliet role. I was impressed by her performance and was certain that she would land the role and remembering what Rhett had told me about Alexia's chances, I felt pretty certain that Alexia would get it.

At the beginning of next week, the whole student body was reminded about mocks as Mr. Betchaku announced about the importance of mock exams and how if we didn't do well, we would have to take remedial classes. As Alexia and I had been studying hard for them, I was pretty sure we would do well, as neither of us wanted to take remedial classes, meaning that our Saturdays would be wasted. Also, I felt that failing mocks would hurt my chances of entering a good university and I didn't want that to happen.

The rest of the week went by and on Thursday, it was Sports Day at Northmain. I remember that Merle mentioned about this day and I thought it would be a good idea to participate even though I wasn't an athletic person. I thought it would be a good idea to show my school spirit and all that.

After arriving on the school track, I realized how cold it was. I wondered whose sadistic idea it was to have Sports Day on today of all days.

Marius looked at me and commented, "There's nothing quite like running laps in the sleet and hail. Really wakes you up, y'know? It's _invigorating_ , like."

I gave Marius a doubtful look and chuckling, he added, "Don't worry. After a few events, you won't even be able to feel the-"

I interrupted him by replying, "Hypothermia eating its way through my skin? That's comforting, thanks!"

Marius grinned and replied, "There's that cheery optimism again-just what I like to see!"

Seeing that he had to get ready, Marius then said, "I'd better be off, anyway-best keep moving, wouldn't want anything falling off. I'll be cheering for you, Caitlin!"

I smiled and replied, "Ah, thanks, same to you!"

Seeing that the event I planned to participate was about to begin, I approached the track to get ready and positioning myself, I hoped that I would do decently.

After the race was over, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in first place. I guess all that time working out in the gym paid off. However, I felt my poor lungs burning and had to take deep breaths to recover from all that running. Suddenly, Shuppin approached me and asked,

"Caitlin! Did, uh, you just come in first place?"

Nodding in surprise, I replied, "I guess so. When did you get here, anyway? I didn't think you were even in school today…"

Shuppin blushed and replied, "Ah, well…I made it in for the important parts."

I replied, "That's what counts, I guess…"

Shuppin nodded and then replied, "Anyway, I'd best get going-I've only been here five minutes and I've already been roped into the relay. But, ah, you were really amazing just now, Caitlin."

I smiled and replied, "Uh, thanks!"

As Shuppin left to get ready for the relay, I grinned to myself, thinking how lucky I was to have bumped into Shuppin. Also, hearing a compliment from him made me feel happy and made it well worth it to come to Sports Day. As I had no other events to attend to after, I decided to stick around for a while and watch the other races and sports that the other students were participating. Especially, I looked for the events that Shuppin participated in and cheered him on although I noticed that many of the girls as well were doing the same. Even though I didn't know how Shuppin felt about me exactly, at least I knew that we were getting to be even closer than before and perhaps we could eventually be something even more.

 **Chapter 13**

On Saturday, Alexia and I studied again for mock exams but this time, we were at my house. Alexia arrived a little after my parents had left for the day. They wanted to get some shopping done and knowing that Alexia and I had exams, they decided to give us the house for the day.

After the two of us went into my room and took out our books and such, I wanted to study right away. However, before I could even open my English book, Alexia said,

"Ok, out with it."

Confused, I looked at her and replied, "What are you talking about?"

Alexia replied, "Oh come on. Half the school's whispering about it and I'm your best friend. I thought you would have told me right away."

Still not understanding what Alexia was alluding to her, I replied, "I have no idea what's going on and I didn't know some of our classmates were even talking about whatever it is you're talking about."

Alexia sighed and replied, "Oh fine. If you won't say anything, then I'll come right out and say it. You and Shuppin. I can't believe it!"

Not knowing how much Alexia knew, I carefully replied, "Umm, what do you mean exactly?"

Alexia grinned and replied, "The two of you are dating, aren't you? Half the school's been talking about it but Merle hasn't found out yet, thank goodness. She'd definitely blab it to everyone and you'd have a lot of enemies."

I blushed, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. Knowing that there was no point in denying it any longer, I nodded and replied,

"Well, we have hung out together although I don't know if you'd call them dates. We've just gotten to know each other better and I like hanging out with Shuppin. That's all."

Alexia gave me this pointed look and replied, "Those are dates, silly. But I can't believe you didn't tell me. I had to hear about it from a friend of a friend of a friend who was saying things like how they'd caught the two of you hanging out at the movies and the mall a couple of times. And then there was Sports Day, of course. Only someone completely blind wouldn't have been able to tell that you two are an item."

I replied, "Because Shuppin talked to me after I won that race? That's kind of a huge leap, isn't it? I mean-I like Shuppin and all but I don't know if you'd call us a couple."

Alexia replied, "If you two aren't official yet, it's only a matter of time. But I can't believe you didn't tell me."

She pouted at me and smiling, I replied, "I'm sorry. I would have told you but even now I'm not sure how things are between him and me and you had your own issues to deal with so I didn't want to add my own to them."

Alexia replied, "Yeah, I guess I can understand that but at least your love life isn't nearly as complicated."

I laughed quietly and nodding, I replied, "Yeah, I can't argue with that. But umm, if Merle hasn't found out yet, I hope she won't find out soon since you know how she can't keep a secret and I don't want to embarrass Shuppin or anything."

Alexia nodded and replied, "Oh sure, no problem. I know who knows and they definitely don't associate with Merle. They're mostly Lamb's friends and all so they can certainly keep quiet."

I smiled a bit and replied, "That's good." I paused for a minute and then said, "So if there isn't anything else, we really should get started on studying. We only have one more weekend before mocks and I want to do my best."

Alexia replied, "Same here."

The two of us then proceeded to study and although I was surprised to hear that Alexia had found out about Shuppin and me, I was relieved that I didn't have to keep that piece of news a secret anymore. Also, as long as no one who tended to gossip found out, then things would be all right on that front.

On Tuesday afternoon, I arrived at the bakery, happy to be inside and away from the cold. I looked around and liked the festive atmosphere, as I remembered that Christmas was coming soon so it made sense that the bakery would be decorated to give off that cheer. Suddenly, I heard Shuppin call out to me,

"Caitlin! Hey, Caitlin!"

Curiously, I looked at Shuppin and replied, "Hey, Shuppin-you okay?"

He nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine-uh, take over for me for a few minutes, would you?"

Surprised, I stuttered, "What? Me on the cash register?"

Shuppin gave me this pleading look and replied, "It'll only be for a wee while, honestly-you'd be doing me a huge favor. Please, Caitlin?"

Unable to resist Shuppin's pleading look, I replied, "Sure, I'm not really sure what to do, but I'll give it a shot."

Shuppin looked relieved and replied, "I really owe you one-thanks. I'll be back in a few minutes, I swear."

After Shuppin left, I went to take over the cash register and although it was my first time working behind it, I didn't do too badly. However, it was definitely more than several minutes later and Shuppin hadn't returned yet. I wondered what was keeping him. Demi approached me with a smile and commented,

"Holding down ze fort, are we, Caitlin? That is what I like to see! Such pride, such determination!"

I smiled and replied, "Thanks. Umm, have you seen Shuppin? He said he'd be back in a few minutes but…"

Demi replied that Shuppin was out back as he was taking out the trash earlier but then asked if the two of us were having a "lovers' quarrel."

Taken off guard, I replied, "No, that's not it! I'd only gotten here when he skipped out on me…he did seem pretty flustered, though. I wonder if something's happened…"

Demi replied that it was probably just the stress of working eight hours in the bakery and having to listen to "Jingle Bells" all the while.

Surprised, I replied, "Wait, Shuppin's been here all day?"

Demi replied, "We 'ave been severely understaffed as of late, what with ze girls I employed so callously returning 'ome for ze holidays! Lucky zat there were no classes today, non?"

Although I knew that certainly wasn't the case, I nodded and replied, "Yeah, that sure is a lucky coincidence."

Demi then replied that I could go see Shuppin as there weren't as many customers as before so he could handle the cash register for a while. I nodded and then went outside to the back of the bakery to find Shuppin.

Outside, I found Shuppin right away and called out, "Finally, there you are!"

Shuppin looked like he'd just woken up and sleepily replied, "Hey, Caitlin. I'm really sorry. I know I said I'd be back and all…"

I shook my head and replied, "Nah, it's all right. I did well, considering. But are you okay?"

I looked at him with worry and he replied, "Huh? I'm fine, just had some family stuff to sort out."

I replied, "Oh…is everything okay?"

He looked off to the side and replied, "Yeah, it's nothing major. Everyone's just looking out for me as always."

I saw how Shuppin looked and replied, "You don't seem too happy about it."

He tried to change the subject by replying, "Aren't you cold, sitting out here in just that?"

Teasingly, I replied, "You trying to get rid of me?"

Shuppin laughed a little and then we talked about how it might snow in Northmain and we were both looking forward to that possibility. Then I asked him what his plans were for Christmas, as I thought that perhaps the two of us could find some time to hang out on Christmas Day. Shuppin looked off to the side and replied,

"That was what I was trying to sort out. Dad's pushing me to go and stay with Dys' family over the holidays, but…"

Confused, I replied, "Dys' family? But aren't you twins?"

He then looked away and replied, "That is weird, isn't it? Before I came to Northmain, I didn't even know I had a sister, let alone a twin…it's the kind of thing that only happens to other people, you know?"

I nodded and replied, "I can't even imagine. If you don't mind me asking, how did you find out?"

Shuppin replied that he didn't know exactly himself but that Dys' family had contacted Shuppin's dad a few years back.

I replied, "I see. And your dad…?"

He replied, "No, we're not related. By blood, anyway."

Realizing that I might have pried too much into Shuppin's personal life, I replied, "Hey, I'm sorry. You probably don't want to talk about this sort of thing after the day you've had."

He looked at me and smiling a bit, he replied, "Ah, no…to be honest, the more I talk about it, the more ridiculous it seems that I'm sitting out here moping about it. It's only a week or so, I guess…and it'd get Dys off my case, so I might as well…"

Thinking that it would be a good idea to give him encouragement, I nodded and replied, "Yeah, and who knows? You might even enjoy it?"

Shuppin replied, "I guess. Thanks, Caitlin." He gave me this warm smile that made my heart skip a few beats.

Realizing that the two of us had been out here for a while, I replied, "Anytime. I don't know about you, but I think my fingers are going to drop off if I stay out here any longer-I don't think it's safe to let Demi loose in the shop for much longer either, to be honest. You coming?"

Shuppin replied, "I probably should-once I can feel my legs again, anyway."

As I helped Shuppin to his feet and the two of us headed back inside, I thought about how Christmas can end up being a big deal for some people. Knowing Shuppin's personal situation made me wish that I could do more to help him but at any rate, I hoped that Christmas would be all right for him and if I could, I'd find a way to see him on Christmas Day to make it a little brighter just for him.

 **Chapter 14**

The rest of the week flew by quickly and on Saturday, Alexia and I met up again to study for mocks. I arrived at her house that morning and after we had set up our books and study materials, I turned to Alexia and asked,

"Hey, how did your audition go? I'm sorry I couldn't be there to cheer you on but I'm sure you did well."

Alexia smiled and replied, "I think it went well, actually."

She then described how her audition went and how she was paired up with a nerdy guy named Felix to do a scene. After she was done, I replied,

"Wow, that was really nice of Rhett to give you support."

Alexia nodded and replied, "I'm surprised that he stepped in but I could see that he really believed in me and wanted me to do my best and you know I'm not one to disappoint."

I grinned and replied, "Yup, that's true. So when do you find out if you got a part?"

Alexia replied, "Rhett sent us all a mass email about that so we won't find out until we return from vacation. I hope I'll end up getting Juliet. I watched Lamb's audition and she was really good, too."

I replied, "I'm sure you nailed it. And anyway, at least you won't need to think about it anymore until you get the results. In the meantime, we do need to study for these mocks. This is our final weekend and all."

Alexia nodded and replied, "That's true. Ok, let's get cracking on this."

Alexia and I then spent the rest of Saturday studying for mocks, wanting to do our best. We both looked forward to getting them done since winter vacation would start afterwards.

The next week flew by quickly with mock exams for all of the students. I was even excused from work so that I could concentrate solely on them and do my best. I was relieved once they were over and I spent that weekend relaxing. Although I wanted to spend the weekend with Alexia and go to the mall or movie theater, Alexia apologized, saying that she had something important to do with Lamb but would tell me about it the next chance she got.

On Monday, it was the start of winter vacation and I was excited to have some free time and not worry about classes or such. I remembered that back in Michigan, winter vacation wouldn't begin until it was almost Christmas but apparently, winter vacation for students here started earlier. So to celebrate, I decided to go out that day to do some Christmas shopping, as I always made it a tradition every year to shop for presents for family and friends.

As I was walking about outside finally having finished my shopping, I thought to myself,

 _I don't remember Christmas shopping ever being so hard-I can't believe I had to come all the way out here to find anything decent!_

Absorbed in my thoughts, I heard the faint voices of a choir singing Christmas songs and curious, I decided to head towards the singing, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to take a look while I was out. Once I was close enough, I listened to the singing, thinking about how beautiful the choir was. Then as I looked at the choir members, one of them looked somewhat familiar to me. Surprised, I recognized that member and thought,

 _Oh my god, it's Shuppin! What's he doing in a choir way out here?_

Then I smiled to myself as I listened to his singing voice, noting how beautiful it was and how at peace he seemed. I had never heard Shuppin sing before and it felt like such a gift to hear him sing. Thinking that I should give the choir a little money for its beautiful singing, I opened my purse and took out some loose change, putting it in a medium-sized red metal pot for donations. Once the choir was done singing, I clapped happily along with the other people who had stopped to watch the performance and shouted,

"Bravo, bravo! Encore!"

Shuppin turned toward me and with a look of surprise in his eyes, he replied, "Caitlin? What are you doing here?"

I smiled and replied, "Enjoying the festivities, of course! You never told me you were in a choir, Shuppin!"

Nervously, Shuppin replied, "Uh, well…I mean, I'm not, really. I'm just, y'know, helping out for today."

He continued to ramble for a bit and after he was done, I replied,

"Oh yeah, I understand. You guys did sound really amazing, though. Maybe you should think about singing more often? I know I'd watch!"

Shuppin was surprised again and replied, "Really? I guess I kind of liked it. The, uh, carols, I mean. You only really get to do this kind of thing once a year, right? I used to go caroling loads as a kid, but I haven't done it in years…and I kind of figured no one would be around to see me way out here."

Taking the hint, I blushed a bit replied, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to invade your privacy or anything like that."

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Heh, don't worry about it. I mean, if it's you, I guess I don't mind so much…"

I blushed, looking down shyly at my feet. Shuppin then quickly continued,

"You can't go around telling anyone about this, though, Caitlin! I mean, this is just a one-time thing!"

Nodding, I replied, "Of course. My lips are sealed. Promise!"

Shuppin then looked like he had remembered something and said, "I never did give you your Christmas present. I mean, I don't know if it's any good now, but I was thinking maybe I'd see you at the bakery or something and give it to you there…"

I replied, "Ah, sorry! But you really didn't need to get me anything…"

Shuppin shook his head and replied, "I wouldn't worry about it, it's only this wee thing-it should still be edible, hopefully."

Taking the gift from Shuppin, I unwrapped it and my eyes lit up with delight. I commented,

"Oh, it's a little Christmas pudding! It's so cute-thanks so much!"

Shuppin looked happy that I liked the present and replied, "Heh, no problem. I'd eat it quickly before it goes off, though."

Then I remembered something as well and opening one of my shopping bags, I took out a beautifully knitted green scarf and handing it to Shuppin, I said,

"I got you something, too. I wish I had wrapped it up but figured I'd see you at the bakery as well and give it to you then. But since we're here now, I might as well give it you."

Shuppin took the scarf from me and for a few moments, our hands touched. He looked happily into my eyes and said,

"Thanks, Caitlin. I like it and mostly because it's from you."

I blushed upon hearing the compliment and Shuppin did, too, as I observed. We both stood there in awkward silence for a minute and then I said,

"Hey, since I'm here, why don't I sing with you? Will the other choir members mind? It's been a while since I sang in a choir but my singing voice is still good, I think."

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Sure, they'd be happy to have one more join them."

Shuppin and I then headed towards the other choir members and after briefly introducing myself, I looked at what songs the choir planned to sing in its program and did my best to sing along with the group, keeping in tune with the others. It was a wonderful way to spend the rest of the day and it felt nice to share in this Christmas activity with Shuppin.

Just before Christmas Eve, I was in my room enjoying the peace and quiet when my phone suddenly rang. Picking it up, I gave out my usual greeting and was surprised when I heard Dys' voice on the other line, saying,

"Hello? Uh, Caitlin? It's Dys. Uh, hope you don't mind me ringing you out of the blue like this…"

I replied, "Ah, no, it's great to hear from you! Are you okay? You sound kind of down…"

Dys quickly replied, "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Actually, I wanted to ask you…I mean, I know it's quite close to Christmas, so if you're busy with your family, y'know, that's fine, but I was wondering if you wanted to come to my house for a sleepover tonight? I mean, it's kind of short notice…Oh but Alexia will be here and Merle, too, of course. So it should be pretty fun, I guess?"

As I didn't have any plans, I replied, "Thanks for the invite! Uh, where exactly do you live, anyway?"

Dys replied, "Ah, don't worry-I'll come and pick you up at the station, if that's okay? I live pretty far out. But, ah, thanks, Caitlin! See you then, I guess!"

After the two of us hung up, I took out my overnight bag and as I was packing all of the things I would need for a sleepover, I wondered why Dys decided to have a sleepover at the last minute but thought that it would be fun, nevertheless. Once I was done, I left the house but let Mom and Dad know where I'd be first and that they could call me if there was any emergency of the sort.

I got off at the station that Dys had texted me with the info and after she picked me up, she led the way to her house. She was pretty quiet the whole time so we didn't get a chance to chat much but I figured that there was something up. It didn't occur to me at the time that it might have something to do with Shuppin although I should have made that conclusion pretty quickly, remembering that Shuppin had sent me an email that he was over at Dys' house.

Once we arrived at her house, Dys led the way to her room and I looked around in wonder and fascination, noting how huge her house was. I commented,

"Wow…I can't believe how amazing your house is, Dys! I mean, I thought Lamb's at Halloween was pretty big, but this place goes on forever!"

Dys replied, "Ah, well…it's nothing special, really. We're just lucky it's been in the family for a long time, I guess…"

Merle then looked over at us and replied about how we were interrupting her soap watching and Alexia shook her head and replied,

"Really, Merle, it's not such a big deal and you've already watched that episode. And besides, Caitlin's right. Dys' house is amazing."

Dys gave Merle a pointed look and replied, "You know, I didn't actually invite you here so you could hog my TV and clear out the fridge-you could do with being a little more sociable!"

Merle waved her off and replied, "Yeah, yeah-I know you only want us here because Shuppin's around. I'm a little hurt, to tell you the truth. So, y'know, I figured I'd watch some soaps to drown out my sorrows a bit, sue me!"

Listening to Merle, my suspicions were confirmed that Dys did invite us because of Shuppin. I added,

"Oh, yeah-Shuppin did mention something about coming here for Christmas, come to think of it…"

Merle looked at me and replied, "Bet he didn't seem too thrilled about it, right? Not that he isn't a right moany git at the best of times. Dys' family has been trying to get him to come and visit for months, but I guess his dad finally put his foot down, I dunno. Oh, uh, you know about the whole adoption deal, right?"

Alexia looked confused and shook her head but I nodded, remembering what Shuppin had told me that day at the bakery. I replied, "Yeah, Shuppin explained the whole thing…"

Alexia then said, "I have no idea about that. Can someone explain it to me?"

Dys sighed and replied, "I'll do it. Best it comes from me so there's no confusion." She then went on to explain to Alexia how she and Shuppin were twins but were separated and adopted by different families. It was the same explanation that Shuppin had given me, for the most part. Dys then looked at me and asked,

"Did he really seem upset about having to come here…?"

Unsure of exactly how to reply to that question, I replied, "Maybe a little? We didn't really talk much…"

Dys nodded and replied, "Ah, it's okay-I mean, I can see where he's coming from, not wanting to spend Christmas with people he doesn't know all that well, and me…I guess his dad thought it'd be for the best, but I don't know."

Merle looked over at Dys and replied, "Cheer up, you! You'd almost think you hadn't been trying to spend time with the guy all year-this is the perfect opportunity, really! Why you went and invited us over so you wouldn't have to talk to him I'll never know…"

As I listened, I thought it was somewhat unusual that Dys and Shuppin didn't spend much time together despite that they'd had almost a year to do so while I had only spent a few months with Shuppin and probably knew him better. I glanced at Alexia and I could tell by the look on her face that she thought the relationship was unusual, too, but like me, she didn't comment on it.

Dys sighed and replied, "It wasn't quite like that…I _do_ actually enjoy having you guys here, you know!"

Merle's eyes then lit up and said, "It's time we moved on to happier things! I've brought, like, my entire DVD collection, and I've seen enough snacks packed away in Dys' cupboards to last at least a couple of marathons, so I'm pretty sure we're good to go! Trust me, with us around, you won't even notice Moany McEmoHair prowling the corridors."

Dys looked like she was trying to suppress a laugh and replied, "'McEmoHair'? Really?"

Merle replied, "It's better if you imagine it in his voice. _Oh aye, Moany McEmoHair of the McEmoHair clan, och aye the noo!_ "

Alexia giggled at Merle's impression of Shuppin while I gave Merle a weird look. Dys slowly replied, "Right…"

The four of us then settled down to watch a movie from Merle's DVD collection and to munch on some of the snacks from Dys' cupboards.

During one of the movies, I excused myself to go to the bathroom and looked around the hallways, thinking that I'd be able to find a bathroom nearby. However, it proved to be harder than I thought to find a bathroom although there were plenty of bedrooms. As I looked in one of the rooms and quickly realized it wasn't a bathroom, I thought about leaving right away when suddenly, I heard voices. Curiously, I leaned in to hear them, trying to figure out what they were saying. I heard an unfamiliar female voice saying,

"And I'm _so_ sorry this room is so plain, Shuppin-I really wanted it to be Christmassy for you, I had a little tree and everything! But then, I thought, oh, maybe it's a little too small, it might be a little insulting, you know? But just say the word, and I'll bring it up!"

Shuppin replied, "It's a really nice room, thanks. It's a lot bigger than my bedroom at home, too."

The female voice replied, "Really? You know, I prefer smaller rooms, myself! Less room for clutter, right? And I'm always losing things…I bet your house is lovely! It's a shame your dad couldn't make it this year-perhaps we could all have one big gathering next year, you think? If you're not sick of us by Boxing Day, anyway!"

Shuppin replied, "Ah yeah, I guess. I mean, if I'm here."

The female replied, "Oh, yes, you'll be going to university this time, won't you? Oh, how exciting! And to study music, too?"

Shuppin replied, "Uh, yeah, if they'll let me."

The female replied, "Oh, I'm sure they will! You'll have to play us all something, if you wouldn't mind, of course, it's just that my brother is a guitarist, too, you see, and I think he keeps them in quite good condition, you know…? Anyway, I wish my Dys knew what she wanted to do like you do-deadlines are coming up soon, aren't they? It's all very worrying, isn't it? Well, I suppose not for you, I'm very excited for you, if you don't mind me saying!"

Shuppin hesitantly replied, "Uh, sure?"

The female replied, "Oh, you look so like her sometimes, you know? Very much so. Ah, sorry! Here I am, rambling on again-I suppose I should let you unpack! Though you didn't bring very much, if you need anything at all, I'll be just down the corridor, and-Oh! Who is this…?"

Realizing that my presence was known, I coughed a bit and replied, "Sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop…"

The female smiled at me and replied, "Oh, you must be…Caitlin, is it? I know Merle already and I met Alexia earlier-it's very nice to meet you!"

I smiled and replied, "Likewise!"

The female then replied, "I'm Dys'-well, I guess I'm her aunt, really! And you know Shuppin, too, I suppose? I'll let you two talk, god knows you teenagers don't want a busybody aunt-well, older person, I guess? Well, you won't want me milling around, anyway! Just give me a shout if you need anything!"

I nodded and replied, "Uh, okay!"

After Dys' aunt left, I wasn't sure of what to say. Fortunately, Shuppin spoke up and said,

"Heh, she leaves you kind of speechless, huh."

I smiled and replied, "Heh, yeah. I'm really sorry for barging in like this, Shuppin. I didn't know you were staying in here…"

Shuppin replied, "Ah, it's no problem-what are you doing here, anyway?"

I replied, "Dys invited me, Alexia, and Merle for a sleepover-she didn't tell you? It was kind of short notice, though, I guess-she only called me this morning. And then I was looking for the bathroom, but this house has like fifty rooms and I don't even think I remember the way back to where Dys is…"

Shuppin nodded and smiling a little, he replied, "To be honest, I'm…kind of relieved, I guess? I don't really know any of Dys' family, and I think Merle hates me or something, so, uh…I guess I'm glad you're here. Uh, not that you have to talk to me, or anything-I mean, Dys is the one who invited you, and all."

I blushed and shaking my head, I replied, "Nah, I'm glad you're here, too, Shuppin! Uh, it's a nice surprise, anyway."

Shuppin and I then chatted on for a bit and he explained that he was here at his dad's insistence but that he felt a little out of place and weirded out surrounded by people who were related to him by blood when he didn't really know them. I nodded and replied,

"I can only imagine what that must feel like. But you shouldn't feel guilty about your feelings, you know. No one can control how they feel."

Shuppin nodded and replied, "Yeah. Well, I should get back to Oceane and help with the Christmas tree decorating or else I'm sure I'll get bothered about it. But thanks for listening to me, Caitlin…Maybe I'll see you later, hopefully?"

I smiled and replied, "Sure, I'll be around." Then I waved goodbye to Shuppin and resumed my search for a bathroom and fortunately, I found one nearby. Once I was done, I returned to Dys and the others to resume the movie marathon.

A few hours later, I had woken up after my fruitless attempts at falling asleep. I had eaten a few too many potato chips and my stomach wasn't getting settled so I figured that I might as well get up. As I looked around the room, I noticed that Dys was awake as well so I assumed that she had trouble sleeping, too. I approached her and keeping my voice low so as to not wake up Merle or Alexia, I said,

"Hey, Dys, you still awake?"

Dys looked a little sheepish and replied, "Yeah, Merle keeps kicking me in her sleep. It was kind of endearing for the first few minutes, but I'm this close to making her sleep on the floor…You couldn't sleep, either?"

I replied, "Yeah, I'm kind of stuffed. Don't they say you'll have nightmares if you eat before bed?"

Dys replied, "Aww, don't worry, I'll be here if you need me. Do you want me to leave the light on?"

I laughed a little and replied, "I guess I deserved that."

Dys smiled and replied, "I'm kind of glad you're awake, Caitlin, though I guess it's a little selfish…it feels like a real sleepover when you're up all night talking."

Dys then sighed sadly and it made me wonder what was going through Dys' head. She then looked at me with a slightly more serious look and asked,

"You, ah, you and Shuppin…you'd say you're pretty close, right?"

I was taken off guard by Dys' question but quickly recovering, I nodded and replied, "I guess so?"

Dys replied, "Well, I mean, you seem to have good chemistry together. He doesn't really open up to people, and he's always avoided most of the girls at school, but…I don't know, he seems a little different around you? Or don't you think so?"

I blushed and looking down at my hands, I replied, "I haven' really thought about it much. We get on well, I think. He's a really nice guy, anyway…"

Dys looked thoughtful for a few moments and then asked, "This is probably going to sound really weird, but…do you think you could see him as your boyfriend?"

I blushed deeper, not knowing how to reply. I was taken off guard that Dys had caught on to the relationship between Shuppin and me, knowing that Alexia would have never said anything about it. Then there was the question of whether I could see Shuppin as my boyfriend and I hadn't even considered that possibility yet.

Dys noticed how quiet I was and she continued, "I know he's a nice guy…and I know it isn't really my place to say, I'm not even his real sister, but I think you'd be really good together. I mean, uh, I really think you should go for it. Uh, and, well, I don't know if this is true, but I heard from Merle who heard from Marius that Shuppin said he really likes you. I think maybe he's just too shy to do anything about it, but maybe if you were the one to ask _him_ …"

A lot of thoughts raced through my head as Dys talked to me and the first thought that came out was,

"He really said that?"

Dys replied, "Well, uh, it's all really hearsay. But whether he did or he didn't, I think you two just…go really well together, you know? Promise me you'll think about it, anyway."

I replied, "Uh, sure…I guess?"

Dys then closed her eyes and replied, "I should probably be getting some sleep, anyway. Uh, speak to you in the morning, Caitlin."

As Dys went off to get some sleep, I stayed up a little more, thinking over all that Dys said. It seemed as though Dys was certain that Shuppin and I would be great as a couple but I noticed the sadness in her eyes. I knew that her relationship with Shuppin was complicated but this relationship rivaled even those in soap operas. As I went off to try to get some sleep myself, I thought about seeing how I could figure out those two and to try to help them have a better relationship if I could. After all, I cared very much for Shuppin and I considered Dys to be a good friend in the short time we've gotten to know each other so I hoped that they would somehow be able to reconcile whatever problems they had between them.

 **Chapter 15**

Although I had only gotten a few hours of sleep, I was able to wake up early the next morning. I still felt traces of sleepiness in my eyes but figured that I could take a nap once I got home. Soon after, everyone else had woken up, too, and was getting ready for the day. I took a quick shower and got dressed. Once Alexia was ready as well, I pulled her aside as Dys and Merle were in the bathrooms getting ready. I quietly asked,

"Hey, Alexia, did you know that Merle found out about me and Shuppin?"

Alexia looked confused and shaking her head, she replied, "No way but I swear I didn't say anything."

Immediately, I nodded and replied, "Don't worry-I'm not blaming you or anything. It's just that Dys and I were chatting a little last night and she found out from Merle. But Dys did say that Merle found out from Marius and he'd found out from Shuppin. I'm worried that Merle's going to start spreading news about me and Shuppin and I want to avoid that."

Alexia nodded and replied, "Yeah, I understand. Listen, I'll talk to Merle about it soon, okay? I doubt she can tell many people about the two of you right now, what with it being winter vacation and many of our classmates out of town to enjoy the holidays. But I'll make sure to talk to her before school resumes. I know you don't like people gossiping about you."

I smiled a little and replied, "Thanks. How about we go get some breakfast?"

Alexia nodded and the two of us went down to the dining room to get some food. As breakfast was a serve yourself type of buffet, Alexia and I each grabbed a plate and utensils and got around to choosing what foods we wanted. Dys and Merle joined us soon after although I didn't seen Shuppin anywhere. Dys noticed my looks and commented,

"Oh you're probably wondering where Shuppin is. I heard that he's sleeping in this morning so you probably won't see him before you leave."

I nodded, a little disappointed that I wouldn't be able to talk to him before I planned to get home. However, I figured that I could call him later if we wanted to get together over the holidays and such.

After breakfast, Alexia, Merle, and I quickly packed up our things and then Merle left first, as she told us that she had some last minute Christmas shopping to finish. I got a ride from Alexia's dad, as he had planned to pick up Alexia and wouldn't mind taking me as well. So I thanked Dys and her family for their hospitality and then Alexia and I left a little after.

On Christmas Day, I spent it with my family, opening our presents and enjoying each other's company. As it was snowing quite a bit outside, I thought it better to stay inside and enjoy watching the snow outside while sipping on hot chocolate and surfing the Internet. I called Shuppin and we talked for a little although we couldn't chat for long, as Shuppin explained that he was trying to avoid spending too much time with Dys' relatives. It did sound like perhaps they were making him feel a little nuts.

As the day came to a close, I thought about how the year was almost gone and how so many things had happened. Although I was clearly too old to ask Santa Claus for a present, I thought about what I'd want if I did. Immediately, I knew that I wanted an even better relationship with Shuppin and as that thought was in my head, I heard what sounded like jingling bells and saw a brief flash of white light, wondering what had happened. But then I thought that it was probably my imagination playing tricks on me and it was a sign that I should head on off to bed.

Although it was winter break, I still had to drop by the bakery the next week to do my shift and I figured that I might as well, seeing that my parents had decided to stay in Northmain for the holidays. So on Tuesday, I arrived to begin my shift and saw that Shuppin was already hard at work as usual. We didn't get to chat much, though, as there were many customers.

Even though there was still one hour left on my shift, I felt practically dead on my feet. Shuppin approached me and seeing my demeanor, he smiled and said,

"Heh, you take a break, Caitlin-you look like you could use a coffee or something…"

I gave an embarrassed smile and replied, "Ah, was it that obvious? I think I can manage another hour, honest!"

Suddenly, Demi approached us and asked us to lock up the bakery when we were done for the day, as he had some business to attend. Shuppin and I nodded and after Demi left, Shuppin commented,

"I like how he makes it sound work-related-he's probably off chasing some skirt or other. Must be great being your own boss, huh…"

I laughed a bit and so Shuppin and I finally had a chance to chat for a bit before we finished serving the last customers and locked up for the day. It was interesting to learn more about Shuppin and although I knew about him and Dys being adopted and such, many others didn't know the details and so assumed that the two of them lived together and had the same last name.

The following week, classes resumed so I arrived at Northmain early along with lots of other students. They chatted happily away about their vacations and how they had spent them and such. I found Alexia as well although we didn't get to chat much. However, she promised that we could meet up on the weekend, as she wanted to catch up with me as well.

On Wednesday afternoon, I headed to the music room for music club as usual but once I was almost to the door, I heard Petime's voice saying,

"What does it look like, exactly?"

Then I heard Shuppin's voice as he replied, "I don't know. They come in different designs-I guess it's usually like a wee black box, with buttons? I mean, it's okay if you don't have one, don't put yourself out…"

I decided to go ahead and enter the room then when Petime replied, "Is this what you're looking for?"

Shuppin looked happy and replied, "Hey, yeah! You're a lifesaver-you don't know if you've got any capos or anything as well, do you?"

I turned to Shuppin and asked, "Hey, Shuppin, you joining the club after all?"

Shuppin looked surprised by my question and replied, "Hey, Caitlin. Actually, I'm kind of here just to pick up some things-you don't mind, do you? It was only really this guitar tuner I was after, but you've got loads of stuff in here…"

I replied, "I don't mind at all but I'd have thought you'd already have most of this stuff since you work in a music shop and all."

Shuppin replied, "I've got a few bits and pieces at home, but it's a hassle having to bring it all into school every day…I just figured I'd start trying to get some practice in where I can, y'know? But, ah, I should probably let you girls get on with it…"

Seeing that this was my opportunity to persuade Shuppin to join the club, I replied, "Well, y'know, if you were a member of this club, you could just practice here. We've got this big, warm, soundproof room, music stands, microphones…"

Shuppin looked a little hesitant and replied, "I don't know…I mean, I'd have to be in here quite a lot, I think you'd probably get sick of me."

I looked a little cutely at Shuppin and replied, "I'm sure we could handle it."

Petime blushed a bit and added, "A-and we have a duty, to, ah, assist anyone interested in music…"

I nodded and replied, "You'd be doing us a favor, really!"

Petime replied, "Even if you were only to stay a little while…"

I finished Petime's sentence by saying, "Our doors are always open!"

Shuppin replied, "O-okay?"

I looked surprised and replied, "Really?"

Shuppin nodded and replied, "If it'll make you stop shouting at me."

I clapped and replied, "Thanks, Shuppin! You won't regret it and with three members we can officially call ourselves a club."

Shuppin replied, "I have to admit, I assumed you two were just squatting in here because you didn't want to join a sports club."

I pouted and replied, "Not likely! Petime and I are really dedicated although I don't know if I've made all that much progress since the beginning of the year…but still, we've got loads of time left. I'm sure we can all help each other out, right?"

Shuppin replied, "Not sure how much help I'll be, but sure, if you say so…"

Petime blushed, clearly happy that Shuppin agreed to join the club. I was happy as well although I felt my stomach drop a little as I noticed the way that Petime looked at Shuppin. I knew that Shuppin liked me but did I feel jealous because it looked as though Petime liked him, too? Also, I had to admit to myself that Petime was prettier than me and any guy would end up choosing her over me, or at least that's what my mind told me.

 **Chapter 16**

Once the weekend arrived, I was happy, as it meant that I would be able to catch up with Alexia on everything that had been going on. So on Saturday, I woke up and did my usual routine and so forth. Then I received a text message from Alexia asking to meet at the mall so I grabbed my purse and headed to the train station to take the next train headed to the Arndale.

Once I arrived at the entrance of the Arndale, Alexia was there to greet me and we decided to walk in the mall and do some window shopping. Alexia turned to me and said,

"How did you enjoy winter break, Caitlin?"

I replied, "It was fine. Shuppin and I went on a couple of dates and this time, he called me out. Usually, I'd have to end up calling him but I guess he's coming out of his shell a bit."

Alexia smiled and replied, "That's great. You know, you two will make a wonderful couple so don't let any jealous girls stand in your way."

I laughed quietly and replied, "Ok, I'll do my best. Now on to you…How did you enjoy your break?"

Alexia replied, "Dad and I went traveling through the English countryside. It's quite pretty and it's so different from Northmain, but we couldn't stay long since I had my part time job to get back to."

I looked confused, as I hadn't remembered about Alexia mentioning a part-time job. She noticed my expression and added, "Oh I forgot to tell you but I got a part time job at Boutique Tide."

I was surprised and replied, "Wow, that's amazing but how? I heard that it's so hard to get a job at any of the high end clothing shops here."

Alexia replied, "Well, Lamb knew that I wanted a part time job and at first, she tried to find me one at La Dauphine since she works there but there were no available openings so when she heard that there was an opening at Boutique Tide, she told Beck that I'd be great for the job so Beck called me and I had an interview with the assistant manager there and well, the rest is history."

I grinned and replied, "Oh that's wonderful. Does Beck work there, too, or something?"

Alexia replied, "Sort of. He's a part-time model there."

I nodded and replied, "I see. How is it working with him?"

Alexia blushed a little and replied, "It's interesting, to say the least. He has girls falling at his feet but I decided not to be one of those girls. I mean-don't get me wrong. I like him and all but I'm not going to be one of those giggling silly girls and so I won't make it easy for him to like me."

I laughed a bit and replied, "I'm not surprised to hear that."

Alexia then said, "Oh and there's one more thing. You've probably heard already but I got the Juliet part."

I nodded and replied, "Yup, I did. Congrats! It looks like Rhett saw that you would be great at the role."

Alexia replied, "That could be. Lamb was happy for me and offered to help me rehearse whenever I wanted although the other girls gave me dirty looks. No surprise there."

I replied, "Yeah, that's to be expected from the girls but Lamb seems to be really nice. It looks like you two are good friends."

Alexia nodded and replied, "Yeah, she's really sweet. I don't get why Merle and Dys can't stand her but I suppose we'll never know the whole story."

I nodded, agreeing with Alexia on that point. The two of us continued our window shopping, had lunch, and then parted ways late in the afternoon, as Alexia had to meet Lamb regarding the play and I had a date with Shuppin, as he had talked to me yesterday, wondering if I wanted to meet him at the movie theater and catch a new movie that just came out.

The next week, I found out that Mr. Betchaku was going on sabbatical and wondered to myself who would take over the art classes, as Mr. Betchaku was the one in charge of them. However, I didn't have long to wait when on Tuesday, I entered art class and looked to see a man who was clearly not Mr. Betchaku, or at least not the one I was familiar with. I took my usual seat but noticed that Alexia hadn't arrived and Merle was nowhere to be seen. I sighed to myself and guessed that the two of them were chatting away and had completely lost track of time.

After the bell rang to signal the start of class, the man stood up and said,

"I'm Beck Betchaku but you can call me Beck."

Beck looked around the room and then said, "Ok, there's too much junk lying around so let's move all of these things to the supply closet there."

As Beck gave out orders, I stared at him and could tell why Alexia was immediately attracted to him. He wasn't my type but he was quite handsome and had this somewhat confident air about him. In a way, I thought he wasn't too different from Rhett although Beck clearly came off as being friendlier. As I hadn't gotten up from my chair to move things around, Beck approached me and with a slight smirk, he said,

"Find me attractive, cutie?"

I raised an eyebrow and getting up, I cautiously said, "No, that's not what I was thinking. I thought I recognized your name from somewhere. You know Alexia, right?"

Beck looked slightly surprised when I mentioned Alexia but quickly recovering, he replied, "Yeah and you must be Caitlin. Alexia's mentioned you. You're cute, too, but I can't have too many girls wanting me."

I rolled my eyes and replied, "Whatever. I'm not interested in you like that, just for the record. I wanted to satisfy my curiosity and now that it has been, I'll help move some stuff around."

Then I went on to help move some art supplies to the supply closet and as I was close to Rhett, I could hear him mutter things like about how pointless this activity was and so forth. A few minutes later, Alexia and Merle showed up and glancing to the side, I could see that they and Beck were having some sort of conversation although I couldn't make out the words. However, I made a mental note to talk to Alexia the next chance I got.

I was finally able to catch up to Alexia on Saturday. We decided to meet at the arcade and although it was usually pretty crowded, it was also noisy so hopefully, Alexia and I could chat without others nearby overhearing our conversation.

We arrived at the arcade about the same time and after briefly saying hi to Marius, Alexia and I walked around and found a racing game for two people. Once we sat in the seats, I turned to Alexia and said,

"Ok, now out with it. Did you have any idea that Beck was going to be subbing for Mr. Betchaku? Although I understand now your attraction to him."

Alexia shook her head and replied, "I had no clue. I didn't know that Beck was qualified to teach a class but I guess his dad pulled some strings or something. I heard that Beck is quite good at art and I've been to the tattoo parlor where he works and he's shown me some of his designs."

I replied, "Wait, Beck works at a tattoo place?"

Alexia nodded and replied, "Ah yeah, you obviously can see that he's very different from Lamb. And well, I decided to take your advice and called Beck out on a date. He's pretty busy on Saturdays but he has no problem with me dropping by his work place. It doesn't get too crowded so we get time to chat."

I replied, "I see. And how is your relationship with Beck going?"

Alexia replied, "It's hard to tell. I think he's interested in me but whenever there's a pretty girl that walks into the tattoo parlor and flirts with him, he flirts right back at him. You know I'm not possessive or anything but I can't help feeling a little jealous, you know?"

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I get that."

Alexia sighed and I then asked, "Hey, is this bothering you that much?"

Alexia shook her head and replied, "No, it's not that although it is troublesome. I haven't told anyone this yet and I know you won't tell but Rhett asked me out on a date for next weekend."

I was surprised and replied, "Wow, I hadn't expected that."

Alexia replied, "Yeah, me, neither. I should have said no but Rhett isn't so bad and I'm not really thinking of it as a romantic date but rather two friends getting to know each other?"

I raised an eyebrow and skeptically replied, "I suppose you could think of the situation like that but you should be careful. It almost seems like you're interested in both Beck and Rhett and the situation could get very messy."

Alexia sighed and replied, "Yeah, I know. It'd be easy if I knew that Beck was clearly interested in me but I have no idea and I don't want to be just another one of his girls. And Rhett is more stable and that would make for a better relationship, right?"

I replied, "Yeah, I think so but despite how much thinking you can do, the heart is like the strongest muscle so perhaps romance should win? I'm sorry-I know I'm not much help here."

Alexia shook her head and replied, "Nah, it's all right. I'll figure it out somehow. As long as I can confide in you, then that'll be enough for me."

I smiled at Alexia and then seeing as how we weren't actually playing a game, I suggested it would be a good idea to play a few of the games here so it would look like we were paying customers rather than loiterers. So we spent a good part of the day playing the different arcade games, occasionally chatting with Marius when he was on his break as well.

 **Chapter 17**

The next week, it looked as though it would be a very uneventful work. Classes resumed as usual and students were busy milling about in the school hallways and so forth. Alexia was quite busy nowadays with rehearsing for the play and I guess she had her love life issues to deal with, too. It made me grateful that my relationship with Shuppin seemed tame by comparison.

However, later that week, as I was studying in the common room, I thought it would be a good idea to practice playing the piano, seeing that I had two free periods. Since most of the other students were in classes, I assumed that no one would be in the music room at that time. So after quickly packing my things in my bag, I left the common room and walked down the hallway towards the music room. As I approached the door, it was quiet so I believed that my assumption was correct, forgetting, though, that the walls of the music room were soundproof.

Slowly, I opened the door to the music room and when I heard voices, I panicked and hoped that I wouldn't get caught. Quickly, I closed the door and hid behind some boxes and hoped that whoever was in the room wouldn't notice my presence and would eventually leave. As I crouched on the floor, I recognized the voices. The music teacher, Miss Chahan, was talking to Shuppin and she said,

"Let's try that once more from the top, Shuppin? And watch your posture this time, hmm…?"

Shuppin sighed and replied, "Ah, yeah, Miss."

Shuppin then picked up a violin and a bow and began to play a short piece. I never knew he played the violin and it sounded beautiful from where I was. However, it didn't appear that Shuppin was happy and I wondered if he wasn't satisfied with his performance although I thought it was lovely.

Once the piece was finished, Miss Chahan said, "Watch your fingering, Shuppin! And crane your arm a little towards me-that's better!"

After Miss Chahan told Shuppin that he put in enough practice, he looked sad and said, "Sorry…I think I'm just tired."

Miss Chahan shook her head and appearing cheerful, she replied, "I'd say that was actually rather impressive, Shuppin-a little rough around the edges, but I don't think your musical ability is something you should be overly worried about at this point."

Shuppin looked surprised and Miss Chahan then explained how Shuppin would need more practice before May, which made me wonder what she meant by that. Was Shuppin on some sort of deadline?

Shuppin nodded and replied, "Well, I _do_ really want to-it's just that, y'know, with schoolwork, and the work I do at the shop and everything…it's kind of hard to fit it all in, y'know…?"

Miss Chahan looked thoughtful and then asked, "And how's the maths coming along?"

Shuppin looked hesitant but then replied, "It's…kind of a work in progress?"

Miss Chahan sighed and replied, "I know it can be easy to get disheartened after failing so many times, but it really is important that you get that, Shuppin. They may be a music school, but you're not going to get into Glasgow-without GCSE Maths, at least. They _are_ a university, after all. I hear Mr. Trafford is running drop-in sessions after school-why don't you give them a shot? You've got nothing to lose, really."

Shuppin sighed and replied, "Yeah, I guess I'll try…"

Miss Chahan then looked as though she suddenly had a wonderful idea and said, "Oh I know. Why not have one of the students tutor you? Miss MacKenzie is quite a smart young lady and she's very good at maths."

Shuppin replied, "You mean Caitlin?"

Miss Chahan nodded and replied, "Yes, I see that you know her. She's an excellent student and really good at maths. That's why she's taking the advanced maths class."

Shuppin seemed to like the idea and replied, "Well, if she wouldn't mind but I don't want to bother her…"

Miss Chahan shook her head and replied, "Nonsense. I'll talk to Miss MacKenzie right away. I'm sure she'd agree to help."

As Miss Chahan and Shuppin finished talking and then they left the room, I was finally alone with my thoughts. I was flattered that Miss Chahan recognized me and I liked the idea of tutoring Shuppin, especially if it would help him get into his choice of music school and make him happy in the process. Then realizing that my free time would pass by quickly if I spent too much time thinking about all that I heard, I got up from my place and approached the piano, getting some practice in before my next class.

Work at the bakery the next week proceeded like any other. Shuppin and I were busy with the customers and things seemed to be running smoothly. We'd gotten together after I overheard him and Miss Chahan talking, as Miss Chahan did approach me about tutoring Shuppin and I agreed to help. So at least part of my Saturdays were now spent tutoring Shuppin although I'd have to wait until he was done with work.

Speaking of work, it was as busy as ever at the bakery. Seeing that there were so many customers today, I turned to Shuppin and asked, "Working hard, Shuppin? I wonder why it's so busy today…?"

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Heh, I guess Operation Waitress worked out pretty well after all-there are far more men in here now, creepy as that is."

He then sighed and I looked at him curiously and asked, "What is it?"

Shuppin replied, "Well, these guys eat a whole lot more than the old customers used to-guys can't ogle on an empty stomach like schoolgirls can, I guess. We're actually kinda running out of some things…"

I nodded and replied, "Oh is there anything I can do? I mean, I could go and get some…though I don't really know where…"

Shuppin looked relieved and replied, "Really? That'd be a great help, Caitlin. Actually, when our stock gets low, we pretty much just buy the cheapest stuff we can from the supermarket down the road…so it's best not to go in uniform."

He then told me what we needed and although the list was longer than I thought, I made a mental note of it and told Shuppin that I'd do my best. So I went into the changing room to get out of my uniform and back into my usual clothes and then hurried down to the supermarket to get the ingredients that Shuppin wanted. Once I got the items and paid for them, I hurried back to the bakery where Shuppin was waiting.

Feeling a little out of breath, I gave a smile and said,

"It's all there, right?"

Shuppin looked pleasantly surprised and replied, "Yeah, that's everything-thanks a lot, Caitlin, you really saved us! I'm sorry I had to ask you to do that…"

I shook my head and replied, "Nah, anytime! That's what I'm here for, after all!"

Feeling relieved that I had done my part, I resumed my duties and a little later, the last few customers left for the day so Shuppin and I took care of cleaning up and then we left for the day. On our way back to our respective homes, the two of us chatted a bit and it felt like it was getting easier for us now to talk. Then we had to say goodbye as Shuppin got off at his stop but I had to wait a few more stops to get to mine.

It was beginning of February and I thought to myself how quickly the previous month had flown by. It would only be a couple more months, really, before the school year would be over and then we would all be attending universities scattered throughout Great Britain although I was still considering going back to the US for university.

Anyway, I was in art class and was doing my best to focus on this one artist, Cezanne, as we had to study an artist to do a critical study. It was a little boring studying and glancing at Beck, I could see that he looked bored, too. I went back to my book and didn't bother to look back up until I could hear Beck's voice but then I heard Rhett's and Alexia's as well. Curiously, I put down the book and looked to see what was going on. It seemed that Beck and Rhett were having some disagreement and they wanted Alexia to be the deciding factor. I sighed, thinking to myself how ridiculous guys could be. Deciding to help Alexia, I got up from my seat and with my book in my hands, I approached the party and said,

"Ok, what's going on?"

Beck smiled at me and said, "Great, you can decide for us, Caitlin. So you think that tattoos can be a piece of art, right?"

Rhett scoffed and retorted, "Beret knows better than that." He looked to me and said, "I'm sure Alexia agrees with me; she just doesn't want to offend our teacher here." Rhett then went on to make the argument on how tattoos weren't a traditional piece of artwork and so forth.

I sighed to myself and could see how annoying this could be for Alexia. At the same time, I could see in her eyes that she really didn't want to have to decide between them. Fortunately, I had the perfect reply. First, I turned to Rhett and replied,

"You do make a good point. Tattoos aren't considered a traditional piece of artwork and we are supposed to study an artist in history as part of our coursework."

Then I turned to Beck and added, "But there's no reason to ever discount tattoos as art. They may not be accepted mainstream now but they very well could be someday. Trends always change and it's best to go with the flow, right?"

I then waited to see how the two guys would react and Beck replied, "Caitlin's a smart girl all right."

Fortunately, it looked like Beck accepted my argument and Rhett added, "Make sense." Then, noticing the book in my hands, Rhett said, "If you're done with that book, beret, I'll have it now."

Nodding, I handed the book over and as I went back to my seat, I glanced at Alexia and she looked grateful. I smiled back at her and we knew each other well enough that Alexia would repay the favor when I needed it.

 **Chapter 18**

At the beginning of next week, I was in art class as usual and all of us were working hard on our critical studies. I noticed that Beck was nowhere to be seen, though, after the bell rang to signal the start of classes. Briefly, I wondered where he was but then quickly shrugged it off, figuring that he'd show up eventually or at least we'd have a free period, if nothing else. As I studied, I heard the door open and Beck entered the room, followed by an unfamiliar tanned blond beauty. Quickly, I glanced at Alexia and could see that her hands were clenched in fists although her facial expression remained neutral. I knew she was upset at seeing Beck with another woman-that much was clear.

As the blond looked around, she said, "Wow, Beck…when you said you wanted me to meet your kids, I figured they'd be much younger! Some of these guys look older than me!"

I raised an eyebrow as she muttered that we were Beck's "kids" and I looked over at Alexia, who was getting angrier at being referred as such. Then I heard Beck reply,

"Heh, you really thought I'd have a bunch of little kids designing your tattoo? I mean, we could always pop down to Lower School if you want, but I figured you were after something a little… _classier._ "

Then I heard the blond reply that she had no problem and that she'd ruin that "redhead," clearing referring to Rhett. I couldn't help but laugh quietly over the remark and I could see that Rhett kept his scowl on. Beck looked a bit put off by the remark as well and replied,

"Hey, hey! I don't want you doing anything that'll get me fired, remember? Why don't you go over there and sharpen some pencils for me or something, huh?"

After the blond left to bother Rhett, I watched as Beck approached Alexia and although I could tell that she was trying to keep calm and neutral, she was annoyed by what Beck told her. As class was almost over, Beck told the blond, whom I found out was Mercedes, to wait in the car and then the bell rang shortly after to signal the end of class. As I was curious afterwards to find out what had happened, I approached Alexia as she was packing up her things to leave the classroom. I leaned in and asked,

"What happened?"

Alexia shook her head and replied, "Not here. Bathroom, ok?"

I nodded and followed Alexia as we left the art room and headed towards the girls' bathroom. We quickly looked around to make sure that there wasn't anyone else and seeing that the coast was clear, I gave Alexia a look and Alexia said,

"Beck brought one of his 'friends' so that he could have me design a tattoo for her. Can you believe it? I mean, he just brings one of those floozies into class like that, not giving one regard for my feelings."

I gave Alexia a sympathetic pat on her right shoulder and replied, "Yeah, I'm sorry. Beck's a flirt so I guess he would be oblivious to feelings and such."

Alexia nodded and replied, "Yeah. But I didn't want to argue so I made that tattoo and Beck was pretty impressed but then that Mercedes was being so condescending. I swear, if I see Beck surrounded by a beautiful lady one more time and he doesn't care how I feel, that's it. There are better guys out there who would treat me better."

I replied, "By 'better guys,' you clearly mean Rhett, right?"

Alexia nodded and smiling a little, she replied, "Yeah. Remember that date I went on with him? He was an absolute gentleman and although we bickered at times, it was more in fun, like as in two snarky people engaging in conversation. And we have quite a few things in common. He likes the same kind of movies I do, we read the same kinds of books…You get the picture."

I nodded and replied, "So you're going to dump Beck?"

Alexia replied, "I'm giving him one more chance but if he screws it up, that's it. I'll move on with Rhett and that'll be the end of the matter. And I don't want this whole matter to be messing with my head. I have other things to worry about."

I replied, "I understand. I hope things will turn out ok in the end." I gave Alexia a quick hug and after a few minutes, we left the bathroom and headed to the common room since we both had a free period and figured that we might as well spend it on catching up with our studies.

At the end of the week, I remembered that it was Shuppin's birthday so I decided to drop by the Arndale to buy him a little something. Once I arrived at the mall, I knew I didn't have much time before classes would start so I looked around quickly to see what Shuppin would like. I knew that he liked music a lot so I wanted to buy him a gift that would be related to his interests. I finally decided on some retro band patches, hoping that Shuppin would like it. Once my shopping was done, I hurried to the train station and took the train to get to school.

After I entered the school building, I looked in the hallways for Shuppin and fortunately, I found him pretty quickly. I called out to him,

"Hey, Shuppin, do you have a minute?"

Shuppin had this look of sadness in his eyes and he replied, "Hey, Caitlin…did you want something?"

I wondered why he was sad today of all days but thinking that I could cheer him up, I replied,

"I just wanted to give you this. Happy Birthday!"

I handed Shuppin the small shopping bag that had the band patches and as Shuppin took out the gift, his face lit up and he said,

"Heh, these really take me back! I used to iron them on practically everything I owned as a kid-nobody told you about my mosher phase, did they?"

I shook my head and replied, "Nope, not as far as I know. I just thought they were due to come back in style. They say trends are cyclical, after all."

Shuppin replied, "Well, I don't think I'm enough of a trendsetter to actually wear them out in public again, but thanks a lot, Caitlin-these are really ace."

I smiled and replied, "No problem."

I was then going to leave, seeing that classes would start soon, but Shuppin quickly grabbed my right arm and said,

"Hey, Caitlin, I was going to ask you later but…"

He looked a little shy and I wondered what he wanted to ask me but I waited for him to continue. He took a breath and asked,

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day so would you like to go on a date with me to the park? You can meet me at the bakery and after I'm done with work, we can head on there."

I blushed and nodding, I replied, "Sure, I'd love that, Shuppin. Thanks."

Shuppin smiled and replied, "See you tomorrow then, Caitlin." He then hurried off down the hallway towards his class and I did the same, as I kept my excitement contained as best I could.

The next day, I got myself ready for my date with Shuppin. As it was Valentine's Day, I especially wanted to look my best for him. I spent most of the day at home, checking out which outfit would be the most appropriate for the weather. It had snowed the day before and the snow still stuck to the ground. Also, it was pretty cold so I took out a coat as well. I washed up, put on just a little makeup, got dressed and brushed my hair. Once I looked presentable, I left the house and hurried to the train station, taking the train to downtown.

Once I arrived at downtown, I approached the bakery and saw that Shuppin was closing up for the day so it looked like I arrived just in time. Shuppin smiled as he noticed my presence and said,

"Wow, you look beautiful, Caitlin. Ready to head to the park?"

I nodded and followed Shuppin as the two of us headed to the park for our date. Once we arrived at the park, I noticed that there were a lot of people despite how late it was. I said,

"We'd best decide what to do before everywhere fills up!"

Shuppin nodded and replied, "You can decide."

I looked teasingly at Shuppin and replied, "You sure? No complaining if it's something you don't like!"

Shuppin nodded and replied that it wasn't a problem so I thought over what we could do and then said,

"I know! Let's go ice skating on the lake. It's probably frozen over by now, and I'm pretty sure they're renting ice skates down there…"

Shuppin looked surprised and replied, "What, now? It's kind of cold, isn't it?"

I replied, "Umm, that's the point, isn't it? Besides, the lake's really pretty at this time of year-I think they string up lights around it at night, too!"

Shuppin looked hesitant and replied, "Yeah, I guess so. The truth is…I'm just a terrible skater."

I shrugged and replied, "I'm hardly anything special myself-I'm sure it'll be fun either way, right?"

Shuppin nodded and replied, "Heh, I guess so. Why not?"

So we rented a couple of ice skates and then took a few turns on the ice. I could only do a few basic moves as well as some spins and jumps as I went on the ice. Shuppin looked impressed as I finished and said,

"You were ridiculously good out there, Caitlin! Who taught you to pirouette like that?"

I blushed a bit and replied, "Well…I picked it up a bit. Did you really think it was okay?"

Shuppin nodded and replied, "I swear, I've never seen anything like that. Uh, are you sure you want to stop now? I think I could learn a thing or two from you."

I smiled and replied, "Well, I guess a few more goes couldn't hurt…"

So Shuppin and I continued to skate on the ice for a while even as others got off the ice to leave the park. As it was getting dark, Shuppin and I realized how late it was and how we both should get back home before our parents got too worried. So we returned the skates and Shuppin insisted on taking me home despite that I could easily find the way back on my own. As we got close to my house, I said,

"You really didn't have to walk me all the way home, you know. Do you even live around here?"

Shuppin replied, "Eh, not really…but it was a nice walk, I guess." He paused for a moment and then taking out a small beautiful wrapped gift, he handed it to me and said,

"Anyway, uh…this is for you. Sorry it's not much, but…"

Realizing what this was, I replied, "Is this for Valentine's Day? You really didn't have to get me anything!"

Shuppin replied, "Heh, it's no problem. I made it last night, and I was kind of half-asleep, so yeah…sorry if it's kind of rough. And, I mean, I hope you can play it, I know a lot of people don't have that sort of thing anymore, y'know? But I'm sure we can sort something out….Heh, sorry, I'll let you open it inside. I had a lot of fun today, Caitlin."

I smiled and replied, "Me, too, and thanks for the gift."

After Shuppin left, I entered my house and observed that my parents were still out so I immediately went upstairs, curious to see what Shuppin had given me. I eagerly unwrapped the gift and opening the box, I saw that it was a homemade card and a mixtape. I noticed that the mixtape was a CD and fortunately, I had a CD player in my room so I immediately put the CD in and listened to the music, enjoying the rest of the evening like so.

 **Chapter 19**

At the beginning of next week, I was quite happy as I recalled my date with Shuppin on Valentine's Day. Classes went smoothly and there didn't seem to be any problems weighing on my mind. However, on Tuesday, classes were over and I was about to head towards the bakery when Merle-with Dys next to her-called out to me,

"Hey, Caitlin, you have a minute?"

I nodded and replied, "Yeah but make it quick, ok?"

Merle replied, "Ok. You know about the Leavers' Ball?"

I replied, "Yeah. What about it?"

Merle replied, "Next Tuesday, it's Open Day and all the Upper Sixth students are putting on fundraisers for it. The cheapness of this bloody school never fails to astound me!"

Dys replied, "I don't know, I think it makes it even more special somehow-knowing it's all been done through money we've raised. Plus, the events are usually pretty fun…do you know what your class is doing?"

Merle replied, "It's Pancake Day, so some bright spark decided we should make pancakes here at school-I can tell it's not going to end well. Also, I can't cook to save my life, so I nominated Caitlin to be on pancake duty."

Shocked that Merle had the audacity to volunteer me without asking me first, I looked at her a little angrily and replied, "Hey! I don't know anything about cooking, either!"

Merle didn't seem fazed by my outburst and replied, "There's nothing to it, you'll be fine! I'll be too busy waitressing to help you out, but I'm sure you can handle it, right?"

Dys looked apologetically at me and added, "I'm sorry, Caitlin-I'd help you, but I'm sure they'll have me showing parents around like I had to last year…I'm sure you'll do fine, though, hardly anyone ever turns up for these things anyway. Uh, I think…"

I looked straight at Merle and keeping as calm as possible, I replied, "No, I'm not doing it."

As though Merle didn't hear my reply, she immediately replied, "Now that it's settled-wait, what?"

I looked at her and replied, "I said no. You had no right to volunteer me without asking me _first_."

Merle looked at me and replied, "But, Caitlin, it's not a big deal. It's just cooking-."

I replied angrily, "And I told you that I can't cook! Maybe you should have found that out first before volunteering me for something I don't want to do. And before you give me the guilt trip speech about how I'll be letting our class down by not helping, it's not my fault that you tried to force me to do something against my will."

I glanced around and although some students had left for the day, there were others who had witnessed this conversation and were surprised that I had replied to Merle as I did. Taking a deep breath, I then continued,

"Don't even talk me out of my decision. Now I really have to get going."

Before another word could be spoken, I ran out of the school and hurried towards the bakery, feeling a little guilty over the way I addressed Merle although I mostly felt anger towards her. Anyone who knew me well would have known better than to volunteer me for something against my will.

I continued my way towards the bakery and once I arrived for work, I felt out of breath as I stood in the doorway. As Shuppin was already there although Demi was nowhere to be seen, Shuppin stared at me and asked,

"What happened, Caitlin? You look like you just came from a marathon or something."

I looked at Shuppin, wondering whether I should tell him what happened between Merle and me. I knew that Shuppin didn't like Merle and so I thought that he might understand how I felt. I replied,

"I'll tell you but let me get changed first."

I went into the back to change quickly into my uniform and after I was done, I met Shuppin back at the front once more. I asked,

"Hey, where's Demi? Shouldn't he be here? I feel bad for getting here late."

Shuppin replied, "Heh, Demi said he had some 'business' to attend to, so you can leave it to your imagination."

I smiled a bit and replied, "Yeah, I get the picture." Shuppin looked at me expectantly and then I told him about how Merle had stopped me earlier and tried to force me into cooking next week and I ended with how angry I was and such. After I was done, Shuppin looked at me with amazement in his eyes and said,

"Good for you, Caitlin. You stood up to her. I wish I could have seen that."

I looked confused and replied, "But Merle will be mad at me now, won't she? Although my anger is completely justified and everything."

Shuppin shrugged and replied, "Yeah, but she won't be mad long. She'll get over it and you're right-she shouldn't have forced you into anything. I wouldn't have."

I smiled gratefully at Shuppin, glad that he understood. He then said, "I bet you'll have some fans now."

I replied, "What?"

Shuppin explained, "It's rare when someone stands up to Merle like you did. More of our classmates want to but she has this way of getting them to do what she wants. It's a reason I don't like her."

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I can see that. I do feel a little bad that our class won't have someone to cook now but it would have been worse with me. Cooking pancakes is much harder than the work we do here."

Shuppin replied, "Yeah, I agree. I wouldn't worry about it anymore, ok? Things have a way of working out, right?"

I replied, "Yeah, you're right. I'll just hope for the best for now."

Feeling a little better than before, I was able to get to work, serving the customers and keeping myself occupied with work for the rest of the afternoon.

Later in the evening, I was in my room studying when my cell phone rang. I picked it up and seeing that it was Alexia, I said,

"Hello, Alexia? It's unusual of you to call me during the week like this."

Alexia replied, "Yeah, I know, but I heard about what happened between you and Merle today. Are you ok?"

I replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. Is Merle mad at me?"

Alexia replied, "More like annoyed. I'd avoid her for the next couple of days, just to be on the safe side. But I wanted to tell you that after you left, I found Merle and Dys and talked to them to see what happened. Then I explained to them how you really hate it when people volunteer you to do things against your will and all that and I think I finally got through to Merle. She shouldn't do that to you ever again. And to help things, I went ahead and volunteered to take your place."

Feeling surprised, I replied, "Really? But are you even allowed to do that? You're not in the same form class as me and Merle."

Alexia replied, "I know but I think the teachers can make an exception this one time. And in the worst case, I can explain what happened although I'm sure your homeroom teacher will get on Merle's case, seeing how she's to blame for the mess. I'm not doing anything else since the drama club doesn't need any more volunteers so I figured why not? And this way, I can pay you back for helping me out that time in art class."

I replied, "Oh you mean intervening in that argument between Beck and Rhett?"

I heard Alexia give a slight huff before replying, "Yeah, that."

Thinking that a change of topic might be in order, I replied, "I see. Thanks…Hey, Alexia, you can stop me if I'm being too nosy but I wonder how your Valentine's Day went. I haven't asked you."

Alexia replied, "Well, it started off badly but in the end, it turned out better. Since I can't stay on long, I'll give you the short version of it. I called Beck on Saturday to see if he wanted to hang out and he agreed so I met him at the tattoo place as usual. I even dressed up especially for him but then I saw that place crowded with girls and Beck was giving them all his attention. He didn't even notice that I was there. Feeling fed up, I stormed out of there and as I thought about heading straight home, Rhett called me. He wanted to meet at the movie theater and he even bought tickets in advance and everything. Since I needed some cheering up, I thought I might as well and so met him there and we watched this indie movie and held hands-it was great. Then he walked me home and even gave me a gift. He looked a little embarrassed to give it to me but he thanked me for going out with him and told me that he had fun.

So yeah, you can see how my Saturday was and it goes without saying that I dumped Beck. I'm not going to wait around for him to notice me and only me."

I replied, "Yeah, I get the picture. Have you told Beck that the two of you are through?"

Alexia scoffed and replied, "There's no need. He'll get the picture sooner or later and now that he's out of my life, I can focus on making my relationship with Rhett work. He's a much better choice anyway."

Inside, I wondered whether Alexia decided to be with Rhett because she loved him or if he was only a substitute for Beck since it looked like Alexia wouldn't be able to have him. I didn't think it was a good idea for Alexia to move on to another relationship immediately after breaking up a previous one and although I would have usually spoken my mind, I didn't think it was a good idea to do so after Alexia had helped me out regarding Open Day. Instead, I replied,

"Well, I hope everything works out and you know that you can talk to me whenever."

Alexia replied, "Thanks, Caitlin. Sorry for the rant but I guess I needed to tell someone and I certainly couldn't tell Merle or Dys for obvious reasons."

I replied, "Yeah, I get that. Hmm, I think we should get off now. I still have some studying to finish up for classes tomorrow."

Alexia replied, "Same here. Ok, see you later, Caitlin. Bye!"

The two of us then hung up and I resumed studying although my thoughts would stray occasionally to Alexia's situation. I was relieved that she had helped me out so I wasn't too concerned about it anymore but I was worried about how this whole love triangle with Alexia, Beck, and Rhett would turn out. There wasn't anyone I could confide in about it, either, so that left me to sort my thoughts alone.

 **Chapter 20**

For the rest of the week, I was able to avoid Merle although it wasn't like Merle sought me out or anything. Since I was avoiding Merle, I didn't get to see much of Dys since the two of them usually hung out. As for Alexia, I didn't see her outside of classes although I wondered how things were going for her. I thought I'd be lonely but Shuppin and I got to see more of each other that week. He kept me company whenever we didn't have classes and, of course, I got to see Petime in music club. I got to know her better and she was impressed with how far my piano playing was coming along.

The weekend came and went and then it was the start of the next week. On Tuesday, it was Open Day which meant that there would be no classes so the students could spend the morning setting up their booths and such. Since I wasn't helping out with the pancake activity, I decided to go ahead and help Petime with the music club booth. I didn't want to sit back and do nothing and I wanted to help Petime with getting more interest in the music club although she seemed not as anxious about that as she was before. That made me wonder if Shuppin's occasional presence had anything to do with it. Whenever Shuppin was in the music room, Petime would blush but would only talk to him if he addressed her. I still didn't know what she thought about him, whether she simply admired him as a musician or if she had a crush or something. But I knew I didn't have anything to worry about, as I knew that Shuppin enjoyed my company just as much as I enjoyed his.

Anyway, as Petime and I were setting up our club booth, Petime turned to me and said,

"Thank you again for helping out, Caitlin."

I smiled and replied, "No problem and this looks like it's going to be fun. Our booth is set up nicely and I'm sure we'll have lots of visitors."

Petime gave me a polite smile and replied, "I hope so."

A little later, the visitors started to arrive and most of them were parents although there were some students as well. Some of them would stop by our booth and although I did my best to be enthusiastic and encourage more students to join the club, they wouldn't stay long. Petime looked at me in sympathy and said,

"Thank you, Caitlin. I expected this."

I replied, "Hey, it's still early. Oh I bet the majority of visitors won't come until later so how about you take the time to check out the other booths? You probably haven't had a chance to do so in the past."

Petime looked like she wanted to take up my offer and replied, "But, Caitlin, I cannot leave you here by yourself."

I shook my head and replied, "Nah, it's all right and you should have some fun. I bet by the time you get back, there'll be more visitors than either of us know what to do with."

Petime smiled and replied, "In that case, I shall go but I will return shortly."

After Petime left, I did my best to garner interest and enthusiasm for the music club but it seemed as though the visitors were interested in the other booths more. I was starting to feel discouraged when, suddenly, Shuppin approached the booth and said,

"Hey, Caitlin, I thought you might be here."

I replied, "Hey, Shuppin. I'm happy to see you but what are you doing here at this booth? I thought you were helping out with the pancakes booth for our class."

Shuppin gave a dismissive wave and said, "Our class looks like they can handle things and I didn't want to be there if you weren't there."

I blushed and looked down at my feet. Before I was able to reply, though, Shuppin then asked,

"Do you need any help here?"

I nodded and replied, "Now that you mention it, yeah. I've been doing my best to get people interested in the club but I haven't been very successful. I'd play the piano but my musical ability still isn't high enough yet."

Shuppin looked thoughtful for a couple of minutes and replied, "I have an idea. I can play something."

Before I could ask him what he planned to play, Shuppin went into the music room and after a few minutes, he returned, carrying a violin and a bow. He then stood up and began to play a short but beautiful violin piece. I watched in admiration and awe as he did so and I found out that I wasn't the only one who did. I glanced around and saw that there were more visitors who were watching Shuppin play. Once the piece was over, Shuppin put down the bow and violin and was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the visitors who had stopped to listen. I clapped as well and Shuppin took a polite bow. Then I found myself busier with parents and students asking me about the music club and I was doing my best to answer their questions. Whenever I had a break, I would glance at Shuppin and give him a grateful smile for all of his help.

As Open Day was coming to a close, the booths were shutting down and so I figured it was a good time to shut down the music club booth as well, as all of the visitors had left. Shuppin was helping me when I finally saw Petime return. Petime approached us and giving me an apologetic smile, she said,

"I am so sorry, Caitlin. I did not mean to leave for so long. I found out that there is a boxing club here and talked to the president for longer than I should have."

I shook my head and replied, "Nah, it's all right. I managed and Shuppin here helped."

Petime smiled and replied, "I heard. As I came back, many of our classmates were talking about how successful this booth was."

I grinned and replied, "And it's all thanks to Shuppin!"

Shuppin smiled shyly and replied, "I just did what I could to help."

Petime looked to Shuppin and replied, "I am very grateful for your assistance." She then turned to me and said,

"I will help clean up as well. It is the least I can do for being absent before."

So Petime, Shuppin, and I spent the remainder of the afternoon cleaning up the booth, putting away decorations and instruments alike. Once we were done, we said our goodbyes and went about our separate ways.

Spring was finally starting to arrive, as the weather got warmer and flowers blossomed and such. The leaves of the trees got greener and it felt wonderful to go outside for long periods of time. It was the first week of March and Shuppin and I were hanging out in the music room for music club although Petime was nowhere to be seen. I noticed that Shuppin was busy doing something so I turned in his direction and asked,

"What are you up to over there, Shuppin?"

Shuppin stopped what appeared to be guitar practice and replied, "Huh? Sorry, I'm not distracting you, am I?"

I shook my head and replied, "Oh, no, not at all-I think I've done all I can for today, to be honest. Are you going to play something?"

Shuppin nodded and replied, "Yeah, I guess…none of these guitars have been tuned for a while, though, so I thought I might as well give it a shot. Some of the strings are looking a little worse for wear, too-maybe I could restring this one, at least…"

Impressed that Shuppin could tune guitar strings, I replied, "Wow, that's really cool. Isn't that like…perfect pitch or something?"

Shuppin shook his head and replied, "I don't think so. I mean, it would have been better if that tuner Petime found had actually worked-but this'll do for the time being-I think most guitarists can tune by ear, really."

Still amazed, I replied, "Still…I don't know, isn't it kind of romantic? I'm just imagining you on some hill somewhere, tuning your dog-eared old guitar, traveling wherever the wind takes you…"

Shuppin chuckled and replied, "So I'm a hippie then, basically?"

I pouted a bit and replied, "Hey, you're the one who chose the acoustic guitar! I think the hippie image pretty much comes with the territory, to be honest."

Shuppin replied, "Heh, fair enough. I don't really mind electric guitars, either, though-they took a little getting used to after only playing acoustic for so long, but I'm sure if you got something decent, like a Les Paul or Fender or something, they're not half bad. Still…I prefer the acoustic sound, y'know? It just seems crisper-even with old ones like these."

I nodded and replied, "Makes sense, I guess. Plus, I'm assuming those are cheaper!"

Shuppin gave a smile and replied, "Heh, yeah, that might have been a contributing factor."

I then looked a little thoughtful and replied, "It's kind of a shame I never learned to play the guitar, though…looks pretty complicated."

Shuppin looked surprised and replied, "Really? It's not all that bad-you've never played one before?"

I shook my head and replied, "Nope-I mean, I've picked up the ones in here and strummed up and down a little, but that really is about it. I mean, I know some people just teach themselves, but I don't know if I really have the drive…"

Shuppin looked at me for a minute and replied, "You're not doing anything now, are you?"

I shook my head and Shuppin then said,

"I could show you a few of the basics, if you want. Not that I'm saying you have to learn the guitar or anything…"

I replied with a little surprise in my voice, "Really? I wouldn't want to get in the way-you look kind of busy over there…"

Shuppin replied, "I guess it's part of my duty, what with me working in a music shop and all, to get people interested in different instruments-that, and I think my dad'd die happy if you came back and bought a guitar, y'know?"

I laughed a little and replied, "Fair enough. So what do I do? Should I use this guitar over here?"

Shuppin replied, "I think it'd be easier if I showed you." He then got up and suddenly approached me, and I could feel my face get hot at how close we were. Then he said,

"You're okay with sharing a guitar, right? It's just easier to show you the chords this way."

I nodded and replied, "Ah, sure! No problem!"

Shuppin replied, "I've never actually taught anyone before, so I don't really know where to start…but I guess the basic chords are as good as any."

Shuppin then placed his right hand over mine and helped me with positioning my fingers over the guitar strings and producing the various chords and such. I did my best to keep from blushing too much although it did look like Shuppin was more focused on teaching me rather than on my demeanor.

After Shuppin finished teaching me a few chords, I asked, "Do you have to do this sort of thing at the shop, too?"

Shuppin shook his head, explaining how there were hardly any customers and how his dad wouldn't want him to distract the customers from buying items by teaching chords. I replied,

"Hmm, that's a shame-you might end up with more people wanting to buy instruments that way if they could learn to play at the same time."

Shuppin looked at me as though pondering over the idea and I continued, "You should really think about running something like that at the shop!"

Shuppin looked off to the side and replied, "I could run the idea by Dad, I guess. I mean, we could really do with the money…Anyway, I should probably get going. I've got extra shifts at the bakery today and I think Dad wants me to lock up, too…"

I replied, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you."

Shuppin smiled at me and replied, "No, this was really fun, Caitlin. It's kind of nice, just playing the guitar for a change. Just make sure you practice those chords and your fingers'll be used to it in no time."

I nodded and replied, "Sure! Thanks for the lesson."

As Shuppin waved goodbye and afterwards left, I wondered about his family's financial situation. Shuppin was awfully busy working at the bakery and his dad's shop and so it was no wonder he could barely get any music practice as it is. Fortunately, having me tutor him in math did ease his academic studying a little, as I noticed that he was getting better and picking up on the lessons more easily now. I was left with my thoughts until I realized how late it was and knew that I needed to get home soon as well before it got too dark.

 **Chapter 21**

The next couple of weeks flew by quickly. Everyone, including myself, was pretty busy. Alexia was preoccupied with play rehearsals so I hardly ever got to see her, even on the weekends. However, when I did notice her, I saw that she hung around Rhett a lot and they were becoming even friendlier. Then, during art class, I would notice the fleeting looks that Beck would give when he saw the two of them together. It was obvious that Alexia was avoiding Beck as much as possible and giving all of her attention to Rhett. I didn't speak to her about it, though, as I had my own things going on.

Finally, I was receiving university acceptance letters from back in the US and I was excited by how many universities accepted me. I felt a little less stressed, as I knew that I still had options even if I didn't get into a university here. Since the universities here would look at my final exam scores as the main determining factor for acceptance, I studied as hard as I could for them, all the while keeping up with my part-time job at the bakery, tutoring Shuppin, and continuing to be active in music club.

All the while, I was pretty busy, so busy that on the following Monday, I arrived at school early and was walking down one of the hallways when Shuppin called out to me,

"Ah, Caitlin, there you are. You're not busy, are you?"

Shuppin looked at me tentatively, as though he might have interrupted something. Quickly shaking my head and snapping out of my thoughts, I replied, "Not at all. Did you want something?"

Shuppin blushed a bit and giving me a small beautifully wrapped gift, he said, "Ah, I just wanted to give you this. I've been holding on to it for a while. Happy Birthday!"

Feeling surprised, I replied, "Wow, thanks! You really didn't need to buy me anything but I have to ask. How did you know that today's my birthday? Gosh, I even forgot."

Shuppin laughed a little and replied, "Heh, Alexia told me so I wanted to get you something. It's nothing special. I just figured, y'know, maybe you didn't already have a pair…"

Wondering what the gift was, I quickly unwrapped it and replied, "Headphones! And they're so cute. Thanks, Shuppin!"

Shuppin looked happy with my reaction and replied, "Cool, you like them? I've heard the sound quality's supposed to be pretty good, so…yeah. Hopefully, they're decent. Anyway, I'd better going. Take care, Caitlin."

After Shuppin left, I took another look at the headphones and had a great idea. Why not wear them on our next date? Shuppin would be sure to notice and I can get lots of use out of them.

The next week, I was at the bakery at my usual time, serving food and drinks to the customers and such. When it got quiet, I glanced at Demi who was talking to a female customer. It looked like he was offering free food samples to her and the woman looked flattered to be getting such attention. Shuppin saw me and watching Demi and the woman as well, he muttered,

"I never did understand how he manages to have women eating out of his hands like that-you can tell he's putting it on from a mile off!"

The woman had left and approaching us, Demi said, "Ah, Milani, it is something you could never understand! If God sees fit to give one such charm and beauty as I possess, it is only right to take advantage of these gifts. That woman may not be the first-or even the third-demoiselle I have showered with affection today, but I assure you she will return home all the happier for it!"

Shuppin looked skeptically at Demi and replied, "If you say so. I still think throwing yourself at every skirt that comes in here is kind of sleazy…"

Demi replied, "Ah, but as I said, Milani, you and I are different breeds entirely!"

Looking curiously at Demi, I asked, "What do you mean?"

Demi looked at me and replied, "Let me put it this way, mademoiselle-he and I subscribe to, ah, different ideals of love."

Shuppin replied, "That doesn't sound creepy at all."

I laughed a little to myself although I quickly recovered before Demi could notice my slip. Fortunately, Demi ignored my laugh as well as Shuppin's sarcastic reply and said,

"I, for example, use my God-given talents to great effect and am well aware of my admirers' affections. To me, this grace and beauty are not mine alone, but a gift I must share with the beautiful women of the world-to do otherwise would be selfish!"

I looked skeptically at Demi and replied, "I don't know-isn't it kind of unfair to the ladies? I mean, they think you only have eyes for them, right?"

Demi replied, "Ah, chou-fleur, you underestimate them-to them, I am only something to be admired from afar; the sweet dessert, one might say, that one eyes longingly through the window of a patisserie before returning to a more substantial meal at home."

Shuppin replied, "So you're putting it all out there for the married women to look at, basically."

Demi smiled and replied, "In more vulgar times. One must think of his business, after all-my demoiselles come for the, ah-how you say-'sweet talk' and recommend that their friends do the same; my giving out a free sample every once in a while ensures that they return for more, and the tips are all the larger each time. It is win-win for myself and my customers."

I nodded and replied, "I guess so…" However, I thought to myself that the way Demi put it, it made the bakery sound like some kind of sleazy night club or something. Then remembering what Demi had said about him and Shuppin subscribing to "different ideals of love," I asked,

"What ideal of love does Shuppin subscribe to, then?"

Demi replied, "Ah, it is simple enough to tell, no? Milani here is young, naïve-no doubt he is searching for a purer love than I. Or perhaps he has already found it?"

I blushed and I could see that Shuppin was taken aback and replied, "What are you talking about?"

Demi replied, "I must confess, in hiring Milani I had planned to use his popularity with the demoiselles frequenting my bakery to my advantage-he would have been my 'protégé' of sorts, if you catch my meaning, using his talents to attract the customers. But alas! He was always a purer boy than I, barely noticing these young girls' affections, though luckily this did not hurt my business-I feel rather that it is one young madame in particular, one girl in all the world who will capture Milani's heart. Whether he will find her in this lifetime, I do not know…"

I felt a little relieved, as it seemed that Demi wasn't hinting that he knew about me and Shuppin. I replied, "How romantic!"

Demi then replied, "But bah, who wants a lifetime for some dream woman who may not even exist? How about you and Milani get together instead, Caitlin?"

I blushed again and although it was clear that Demi didn't know about Shuppin and me, here he was, directly saying that the two of us would make a good couple. I glanced at Shuppin and could see that he was as much taken aback as I was. Demi then continued,

"Ah, come now, Caitlin! He is easy enough on the eyes, no? You may be aiming below your station, but I assure you, you will find no better man within this fine establishment-myself excepted."

Nodding, I replied, "I'll think about it."

Demi replied, "Make sure you do! That was my good deed for the day. My matchmaking skills astound even me! Now back to work, both of you-I think I spy another of my demoiselles, back for more…"

After Demi left, Shuppin and I looked at each other awkwardly and I said, "Well, um, that was weird."

Shuppin nodded and replied, "It sure was. Well, um, I'm gonna go make some coffee."

After Shuppin left to make more coffee, I was left with thoughts while keeping busy. I thought about what Demi said and although it seemed that Shuppin and I were a couple, it wasn't official yet or anything. We didn't make our relationship public and around work, we were professional and friendly to each other while doing our best not to show more than that. Then I thought about what Demi said about Shuppin and his "dream girl" and smiling to myself, I thought,

 _I could very well be this dream girl._

At the end of the week, I was finally done with all of my classes and not only did that mean the weekend to look forward to, I'd have about a month of no school. Well, all of the students would have the break so that they could prepare for final exams. It was quite different from final exam preparation back in the US, as we wouldn't get any time off to prepare for them, unless one were to count spring break.

Anyway, Alexia and I were chatting and looking forward to having the break and as we were finishing up, I noticed Beck heading our way. Alexia saw him as well but doing her best to ignore him, she looked at me and said loudly,

"I'll call you over break, Caitlin, but I have to get going now. Rhett's waiting for me and I can't be late."

She then headed out of the school, not even glancing at Beck as she did so. I sighed to myself over the matter but had decided not to intervene, as this was a problem that Alexia would need to deal with herself. I gathered my things and was about to head out as well when Beck approached me and said,

"Hey, Caitlin, you have a minute? It won't take long."

I observed that Beck didn't carry that usual air of confidence around him and I knew that something was up. Figuring that it couldn't hurt to talk to him, I nodded and Beck led me to the art room where we could chat in private. Beck then looked at me and said,

"Look, I'll go out and say it. I know that Alexia's been avoiding me like I have some disease but when I try to talk to her, she runs out."

I nodded and replied, "You mean like what she did just now."

Beck nodded and replied, "Yeah. So figuring that you're her best friend, you might know why and you can tell me so I can fix things with her."

I looked at him skeptically and replied, "You really have no idea why Alexia's avoiding you? I haven't talked to her much lately because she has play rehearsals and everything but even I can figure out that answer quickly."

Beck looked at me confused and sighing, I said, "Ok, I'll give you a hint and hopefully, you'll figure the rest out. When was the last time you actually talked to Alexia?"

Beck replied, "Valentine's Day, of course. She wanted to drop by the tattoo place and hang out. I did see her but she didn't stay long."

I nodded and replied, "And can you guess why?"

Beck replied, "You mean those girls who were talking to me that day? But that's not my fault and Alexia knows-."

I put up my right hand to stop him from speaking further and replied, "Alexia knows that you're a flirt and quite popular with a lot of ladies but she doesn't want to be one of your 'ladies.' She has feelings, you know, and she didn't want to wait forever for you to come around. And she's certainly not the possessive type."

Beck looked deep in thought and after a minute of quiet, he replied, "Is that why she's been hanging around that redhead?"

I replied, "Oh you mean Rhett? Yeah, I guess although it's pretty clear that he likes her."

Beck looked a little annoyed at my reply but keeping his calm, he replied, "Ok, so what do I do to win her back?"

I looked at him skeptically and replied, "I think the answer to that is obvious, don't you? If I have to spell it out for you, then maybe you don't deserve her."

Beck looked a little hurt by my reply and sighing, I said, "Look, I'm sorry. I know that sounded harsh but I was just honest. And I guess I'm looking out for Alexia a bit although on this matter, I'm doing my best to stay out of it as much as possible. Alexia has her life and I have mine to deal with, you know?"

Beck nodded and replied, "Yeah, I get it. Umm, thanks, Caitlin. I really mean it. I'll think about what you said."

He gave me a small smile and I returned it. In that moment, it seemed that perhaps Beck was a pretty good guy and perhaps if he changed his ways a bit, he could end up being a good match for Alexia although I didn't voice my thoughts out loud. Seeing that there was nothing else to say, I waved goodbye and then headed out of the classroom and then outside, where I was looking forward to a month away from school.

 **Chapter 22**

The weekend came and flew by quickly, as I'd spent it taking a much deserved break from studying and such. However, when it was the beginning of next week, I knew that meant I needed to crack down and study, especially if I wanted to ace my final exams. Also, I heard that the final exams here would be extremely difficult and I wanted to do my best so that meant I couldn't goof around.

So with that resolve on Monday morning, I figured that I'd do my chores first and then spend the rest of the day studying. However, my plans suddenly got changed when I heard my phone ring. Seeing that it was Shuppin, I picked it up and said,

"Hey, Shuppin. What's up?"

Shuppin replied, "Oh, hey, Caitlin, sorry for ringing all of a sudden. Uh, you're not busy, are you?"

I replied, "Ah, no, not at all. What's going on?"

Shuppin nervously replied, "I was thinking about that time when we sang in choir and I had this idea…I'm going to the park to, y'know, find inspiration or whatever. Just wondering if you wanted to come along?"

I was surprised but happy at the same to hear Shuppin's offer and I replied, "Sure, I'd love to! Just let me get my stuff and I'll meet you there, if you'd like!"

Shuppin replied, "Ah, really? Thanks, Caitlin-I'll see you later."

After we both hung up, I quickly got changed into something a little more suitable for a date and since it was a beautiful spring day, I figured that wearing something light would be the order of the day. I took a purse, put my phone and wallet inside, and then left the house, heading to the station to meet Shuppin at the park.

Once I arrived at the park, I saw that Shuppin had just arrived as well and had an acoustic guitar with him. I waved over to him and said,

"That guitar really suits you, Shuppin!"

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Ah, thanks…I think it looks better than it sounds, though."

I replied, "I see. How about we get started?"

After Shuppin and I sat down on an empty bench, he began to play the guitar to a funky beat and although I was supposed to be singing along, I couldn't help but listen and watch Shuppin play and marveled at how talented and confident he was in doing so-more so than when he was speaking. However, he suddenly stopped playing and looked over at me, which prompted me to ask,

"Ah, what is it?"

Shuppin replied, "You're not going to sing?"

Embarrassed that I had forgotten, I quickly replied, "Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I'll just jump in whenever."

Then the two of us began performing our duet and after we were done, Shuppin smiled and said,

"That was really great, Caitlin, thanks-we should definitely do it again sometime."

I nodded and replied, "Sure! I've got to see you play again, after all-that really was amazing!"

Shuppin looked a little embarrassed and replied, "Ah…I'll see you later, Caitlin!"

After he left, I felt a warm smile on my lips and thought that Shuppin and I had a wonderful date-one of our best ones yet. Sure, I didn't get any studying done but I didn't consider the day wasted. I continued to enjoy the day, walking around the park and eventually to other areas of downtown, before I realized that the sun was setting and that I needed to get home right away, for I still had chores that needed to be done at least.

The rest of the month passed quickly by. Although I was on break from school, that didn't mean that I was bored. I spent a lot of it studying but at least once or twice a week, Shuppin and I would go out on a date and just hang out. Occasionally, I'd call Petime or Dys as well to see how they were doing, as I didn't want to be completely out of contact with everyone. I tried to call Alexia as well but it was difficult to get hold of her, as she would either be studying herself or rehearsing with Rhett. It seemed that Alexia had been spending a lot of time with him over break which made me wonder what Beck was doing. From our talk that time, I had a feeling that Beck would try to win Alexia over but if he was, I hadn't seen or heard of such efforts yet.

I returned to Northmain the first week of May and after quickly greeting everyone, I took a seat in the huge auditorium to take my final exams. I was nervous but I had studied a lot so I figured it was now or never. Each day, we had an exam and then we were allowed to go home afterwards and in that respect, final exams here weren't too different from those back in the US.

After finishing my last exam on Friday, I sighed with relief. Although I wouldn't get my results back until the summer, at least I felt a little better knowing that they were over and that I didn't have to worry about them anymore. As I was getting my things and getting ready to leave, Alexia hurried over to me and said,

"Hey, you. I see that you're all done, too. How about we hang out at the Arndale to celebrate? And yes, I'm making up for not hanging out with you over break."

I smiled and replied, "Sure, that sounds good."

Alexia and I left the building and took a train over to the Arndale. After we entered the mall, which was busy with lots of shoppers, Alexia and I headed over to the smoothie stand to buy ourselves some drinks. Once we got them, the two of us decided to walk around for a while and Alexia finally said,

"Hey, Caitlin. I'm sorry for not hanging out with you over break like I said I would. Things got so really hectic and I do feel bad."

I shook my head and replied, "It's ok. I figured you had a lot going on. Were you busy with both studying and rehearsals?"

Alexia nodded and replied, "Yeah but that wasn't it."

I looked confused and Alexia continued, "Umm, I thought I finally got over him but then he just does these things that confuse me and now I don't know what to think."

Alexia glanced at me and seeing that I wasn't exactly understanding what she meant, she said, "It's Beck. I thought I'd broken it off with him for good and I thought I was pretty clear that I was focusing my attention on Rhett. But over break, Beck started calling me. At first, it was just to talk although he did apologize about Valentine's Day. I'm not as upset about it anymore as I was. And then he wanted to hang out with me and I didn't want to be rude so I agreed and he was all nice and romantic. He was still flirty but only to me even when there were other girls around. I can't help but remember all those old feelings I had for him, as though they suddenly resurfaced. But I'm with Rhett now and I don't want to hurt him. Oh, what do I do?"

Alexia looked at me with such confusion in her eyes and I replied, "Yeah, you're in quite a tough situation. I'm not sure I should tell you who you should be with although I guess I would have never found myself in such a situation in the first place."

Alexia gave me a slightly annoyed look and quickly holding up my left hand, I replied, "Sorry, sorry. Just blurted out the first thought in my head. But I guess it depends on what you're looking for in a guy. I get the feeling that you have stronger romantic feelings for Beck but when it seemed that he didn't return them, you turned to Rhett because he started being friendlier towards you. Rhett is more stable if you want that kind of relationship but if you want a passionate one, then Beck's the better option. It's just what I think but you should decide on what's best for yourself, not what anyone else thinks."

She sighed and replied, "Yeah, that makes sense. I don't know what to do but I should decide on something soon. The school year's almost over and then there will be graduation and before you know it, we'll all be going our separate ways. Hey, have you decided where you might go for university?"

Realizing the change in topic, I decided to go with the flow and the two of us talked about the possible schools we might go to in the fall and I mentioned about all the schools I had gotten accepted to back in the US as well as the ones that I'm hoping will accept me here. I was surprised to hear that Alexia might consider going to Northmain University. It wasn't a bad school but Alexia was quite smart so I thought that she might try for a higher-tier university. The rest of the afternoon passed by like so before the two of us headed out of the mall and towards our homes, where we then went our separate way.

The next week, it was the last week of school which meant that there would be lots of activities to wrap up the year and that meant as well that it would be my last week working at the bakery. As I headed over to the bakery on Tuesday afternoon, I was amazed at how quickly the year flew by. Once I arrived, I noticed how quiet the bakery was and that Shuppin and Demi were nowhere to be seen. However, before I could say anything, Shuppin suddenly approached me and said,

"Hey, Caitlin. Quick question."

I looked at Shuppin and replied, "Hey, Shuppin. What's the problem?"

Shuppin looked confused and asked, "So…bicarbonate of soda and baking powder are the same thing, right?"

Unsure myself, I replied, "Yeah, I think so?"

Shuppin replied, "Well, it's just that this recipe I found says to use self-rising flour, but I guess we don't have any, and then I remembered something about adding baking powder to plain flour and it doing pretty much the same thing, but we don't have any baking powder, either, so I'm kind of stuck."

I replied, "Oh are you baking a cake or something? Cause you know I've never been good at the whole cooking thing."

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Huh, me, neither, clearly. Actually, uh, you wouldn't mind helping me out, would you? I mean, I'm sure you're much better than I am, at least, and there hasn't been anyone in the shop for a while…"

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, sure! Sounds more interesting than clock-watching out here, anyway!"

I followed Shuppin to the kitchen and once we got there, I could tell that Shuppin had been quite busy. There were bowls and utensils everywhere and things were in a bit of a mess. I commented,

"Looks like you've been pretty busy-how long have you been back here?"

Shuppin shrugged and replied, "A couple of hours, I guess. It seemed like a good idea at the time, I don't know…"

Confused, I asked, "Why are you baking a cake, anyway?"

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Well, uh, I figured since it's our last day, I'd try making something for Demi…since, y'know, I've been working here for a few years now and he's been pretty good to me, all things considered."

I replied, "Wow, that's really nice of you, Shuppin. I feel kind of bad for not getting him anything now…"

Shuppin gave me a reassuring look and replied, "Heh, I wouldn't worry-I mean, he's a friend of the family, so if I didn't do something for him, my dad'd probably kill me. And, uh, I guess I do kind of give him a hard time sometimes…But hey, if you help me out now, it can be from both of us, right?"

I replied a little hesitantly, "Well, I wouldn't want to take credit for your hard work, but I'd be happy to help out."

Shuppin replied, "Thanks a lot, Caitlin-you're a lifesaver. Uh, you couldn't help me out with this, could you? I'm trying to measure out the bicarbonate of soda, but this cup has only fl. oz, whatever that is, and I need grams, right?"

I thought to myself,

 _I guess it's a good thing I'm helping, after all, or else who know what kind of monstrosity Shuppin might make._

After we finished baking the cake, Shuppin and I took it out of the kitchen and back to the front of the shop, placing it on a sturdy counter. While we were admiring it, Shuppin commented,

"I don't think it turned out too badly. I mean, it looks mostly edible, right?"

I nodded happily and replied, "Sure, it looks delicious! I wasn't sure putting all those strawberries and marshmallows on top of the icing would work out, but I'd eat it!"

Suddenly, I could hear Demi saying,

"And where 'ave my little lovebirds been 'iding all afternoon? Sharing lovers' secrets, no doubt!"

I raised an eyebrow and thought,

 _Oh not this again!_

Demi approached us and continued by saying, "Ah, to be young again-I too remember zee sweet nothings, ze secret rendezvous! I am tres jealous, Milani, tres jealous indeed!"

Shuppin sighed and replied, "Are you finished?"

Demi laughed and replied, "Ah, my young protégé is embarrassed, I see! But never mind that, what is this glorious gateau you 'ave here? And to think, all this time I did not know my young chou-fleurs could bake! The things I would 'ave had you make!"

I replied, "Shuppin did most of the work!"

Shuppin shook his head and replied, "No way-I mean, the only reason it even rose at all is because you were measuring everything-you practically made the whole thing! Anyway, Demi-this is for you. Since, y'know, this is our last day and all…and I guess you haven't been the worst boss ever."

I nodded and added, "Yeah, thanks so much for everything, Demi! It's been really great working here."

Demi suddenly looked like he was about to cry and said, "You are too much-and 'ere I promised myself I would not cry! I shall miss you both terribly, of course-I cannot believe my little 'atchlings are leaving ze nest! Zis must be 'ow a mother feels!"

Shuppin looked uncomfortable and replied, "Let's just cut the cake, okay?"

Demi took a whiff of the cake and commented, "It smells absolutely delicieux! Those three hours I spent skulking around the door to the kitchen were not in vain!"

Getting an idea, I said, "Before we start, I should get a picture of you guys and the cake! You know, for posterity. We need proof that we actually cooked something, after all!"

Demi smiled and replied, "An excellent idea as always, ma petite 'demoiselle! Come now, Milani, don't be shy! The only thing I shall bite is this delicious cake!"

Shuppin replied, "Please…stop talking."

I couldn't help but laugh quietly to myself, seeing how uncomfortable Demi was making Shuppin with his comments. I quickly recovered and then once Demi and Shuppin got into a good camera pose, I took the picture with the digital camera I had in my backpack. When I took a look at the picture soon after, I immediately saw that the cake was absent and commented,

"The cake's not in it at all! You guys might need to bend down a little…"

Shuppin shook his head and replied, "No, that's okay. I think one picture's enough!"

Demi added, "What he means to say, chou-fleur, is that this picture, it is fantastique! Formidable!"

Demi and Shuppin had taken a look at the picture as well to see how they looked and they noticed as well that the cake was nowhere to be seen.

Demi then added, "My eyes are closed! Perhaps we should take another one, after all! What do you say, Caitlin-I am sure we could squeeze you in somewhere, too!"

Although Shuppin didn't want to be in another picture, I agreed to have my picture taken with Demi and then we had a picture of the cake. After we finished taking pictures, we cut the cake and enjoyed it, spending the rest of the afternoon happily until the sun began to set and we had to close up and leave afterwards.

 **Chapter 23**

The next afternoon, it was the final day of music club and it felt sad that soon, there would be no more school. Sure, I was looking forward to graduation, the Leavers' Ball, and what would lie ahead but I would miss Northmain and the memories I had here would stay with me forever.

As Petime had already left-although I would see her at the Leavers' Ball-it was just Shuppin and me in the music room. I watched as Shuppin practiced the violin, not realizing how late it was getting. After he finished playing, I clapped happily and commented,

"Wow, you're really sounding good there, Shuppin! I mean, I'm not expert, but I think you've really improved!"

Shuppin smiled and replied, "Heh, thanks, Caitlin. I'm just glad this'll all be over soon, to be honest-there's not long to go until my Glasgow audition now. I probably won't want to look at a violin ever again by the time I'm done with it, but eh, well…"

Realizing how late it was, I asked, "Aren't you going home? It's getting pretty late…"

Shuppin shook his head and replied, "Nah, I figure it makes more sense to stay here-at least I'll be able to practice without the neighbors threatening to bring the walls down…Uh, are you off home now, then?"

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I should get changed. I promised Alexia that I'd go see the play so I should wear something a little more appropriate, and then there's the Leavers' Ball on Friday. I've never been to one but I heard it's kind of like prom back home so I'm looking forward to it."

Shuppin looked a little disappointed and replied, "Yeah…I'd kind of forgotten about it."

Giving him a reassuring smile, I replied, "Well, you _do_ kind of have more important things to worry about…Oh, you don't need my help or anything before I leave, do you? I wouldn't want to run out on you at the last minute!"

Shuppin looked a little hesitant and didn't reply right away but after a few seconds, he said, "You know, I never did get to hear you play the piano. You've heard me play plenty of times, right? The guitar, the violin…you've been really great, but I haven't really supported you at all, you know, learning the piano from scratch and all…"

I shrugged and replied, "It's just kind of a hobby for me-I mean, I'm nowhere near at your level…"

Shuppin replied, "I'm sure you're great. Actually, Miss Chahan wouldn't shut up about your dedication. It makes me look bad, you know…Anyway, I don't want to keep you here, you know, since you have stuff to do…but I'd really like to hear you play just once. And, I mean, this is pretty much the last chance we're going to have."

I replied, "I guess…You're really setting yourself up for disappointment, though. I've only been playing for a year…"

Shuppin looked like he suddenly got an idea and replied, "What do you say we play together? I mean, I can't play the piano, but I could always accompany you on the violin, and then it's practice for me, too, right?"

I felt a little hesitant to accept Shuppin's offer and giving me a pleading look, Shuppin added, "Five minutes, please? It'd really mean a lot."

Smiling, I nodded and replied, "Well, since you asked so nicely…I'd be happy to."

Then I approached the piano and sat down on the bench, positioning my fingers over the piano keys. Shuppin picked up his violin and then turning to me, he said,

"Okay, when you're ready."

Surprised, I replied, "Oh, I'm starting? Okay, here goes nothing…"

As I began to play the piano, I felt my fingers move with ease and Shuppin commented, "See? I don't know what you were so worried about."

Hearing myself play, I had to acknowledge that Shuppin was right. The music sounded beautiful and it looked like all that practice in music club really helped. Then Shuppin began to play the violin and the two of us performed an amazing duet and the music room resonated beautifully with the musical tones coming from our instruments. As I continued to play, I had no doubt that Shuppin would have no trouble getting into Glasgow but then something hit me. I knew that school would soon be over but that fact made me realize that we would soon be going our separate ways and I had no idea when I would ever see Shuppin again. The thought-and perhaps the music-overwhelmed me with sadness but I did my best to keep from weeping. I wondered if Shuppin would ever want to see me again…But then I thought that it would be better just to enjoy the moment. If anyone had told me at the beginning of the year that I would be playing alongside Shuppin, I would have found that incredible to believe.

After our duet ended, I smiled and said,

"I actually made it through the whole thing!"

Noticing how quiet Shuppin was, I looked at him with worry and asked, "Are you okay, Shuppin?"

Shuppin looked nervous but replied, "Uhh, yeah…Caitlin, I…"

Suddenly, without any kind of warning, Shuppin approached me and gave me a quick but sweet kiss on the lips. For a moment, I was unsure of how to react but realizing what was happening, I gave in and returned the kiss, enjoying my first kiss with a guy whom I had grown to know and care for deeply. Although it only lasted for a few moments, I wouldn't have protested if the kiss had lasted for eternity. As we parted, Shuppin then said,

"I…just wanted to say thank you. For everything."

I blushed and nodded, not sure of what to say. My cheeks felt warm but I'd never felt happier than I did at that moment. Noticing the blush on my cheeks, Shuppin looked a little apologetic and said,

"Heh, sorry-I didn't mean to just…sneak up on you like that. Uh, I was pretty nervous."

Nodding, I could completely understand what Shuppin meant. I had felt nervous as well as we kissed although that feeling was soon overshadowed by excitement and elation.

Shuppin looked a little sad all of a sudden and said, "I should let you get going. You have to get ready, right?" He sighed and then added,

"I'd hoped that I could be at the Leavers' Ball tomorrow. I really wanted to see what you'd look like, all dressed up."

Taken by surprise, I replied, "You mean you're not going?"

Shuppin shook his head and replied, "Can't. I'm getting the train to Glasgow Friday morning, and my audition's in the evening, so I won't be able to make it back in time."

Getting an idea, I replied, "I-I'll come up to Glasgow, then! I said I'd be your moral support, didn't I? You can't go all the way up there to audition and miss the Leavers' Ball, too."

Shuppin smiled a little and replied, "I…don't think that'll work out. D'you know how expensive it is to get tickets on the day?"

I shook my head, having no idea how much a ticket to Glasgow would cost.

Shuppin then said, "Thanks, Caitlin. I…really feel like I can do this, thanks to you. I can't really explain it. I'll be back from Glasgow soon, and we'll have all summer to see each other, right?"

I pouted a little and replied, "You can't just kiss-and-run like that, you know. You'll give a girl the wrong idea!"

Shuppin smiled a little shyly and replied, "Heh, yeah…in hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea. But I enjoyed it. I'll…see you later, Caitlin."

I nodded and replied, "Good luck!" Then I left the music room but gave Shuppin one last glance before doing so. As I left the school and headed towards my house, all I could think about was Shuppin and that kiss we shared. My heart beat fast and I knew then that Shuppin truly loved me, as I had gotten to know him and had fallen in love with him as well. Although a part of me was sad that I wouldn't get to see him on Friday, I hoped that I would get to see him again and Shuppin did want to see me over the summer so at least I had that piece of hope to hold on.

Later that evening, I was sitting in the school auditorium watching Alexia perform as Juliet in the play. As I had promised to be there for her, I watched as she played her part, not surprised by how well she was performing. However, I was surprised to see Rhett on the stage, wondering what happened to the actor who was supposed to be playing alongside Alexia. Taking a sideways glance, I noticed Beck in the audience as well and he definitely didn't look pleased as the audience watched Alexia and Rhett on the stage.

As Alexia and Rhett got to the most romantic part of the play, I watched as the two of them kissed passionately and it felt as though the two truly had feelings for one another. Again, I observed Beck and he definitely looked like he was about to explode or storm off or something. Fortunately, it looked like he was able to keep himself in control and after the play was over, everyone in the audience stood up and clapped loudly. When I had my chance, I walked up to the stage holding a bouquet of fresh lilies in my hands and approaching Alexia as she and the other actors took their bows, I hugged her and said,

"Wow, you were fantastic out there! The best Juliet ever, you know."

Alexia grinned and replied, "Thanks, and the flowers are wonderful." She looked off a little behind me and then asked,

"Did Shuppin not come with you?"

I shook my head sadly and replied, "He's busy preparing for his Glasgow audition and I didn't want to distract him from that."

Alexia nodded and gave me a sympathetic smile. Once the curtain was down, Alexia and I headed to the dressing rooms so that she could get changed but before we could reach them, Rhett approached Alexia and said,

"You did a great job out there, Alexia."

Alexia smiled and replied, "Thanks, Rhett."

I noticed Beck had found his way and seeing Alexia, he approached her as well and said, "You were fantastic out there, cutie."

It seemed as though Rhett and Beck were vying for Alexia's attention and even though Alexia didn't notice, I could see that those two were shooting evil glares at each other. Thinking that I'd try to find a way to get Alexia out of a potentially uncomfortable situation, I turned to her and said,

"Let's go out for a celebration. Get changed and then come over to my place for a late dinner."

Alexia nodded and replied, "Sure. Just give me a few minutes."

Alexia then went into her dressing room to change out of her costume and into a beautiful black dress. Once she returned, she looked to Beck and said,

"Thanks for coming, Beck. I appreciate the support."

She then turned to Rhett and added, "And you were great, too, you know. I would have been disappointed if the play had been canceled just because that one idiot didn't show up. I'll see you both at the Leavers' Ball?"

Rhett and Beck nodded although I could see that they were still shooting evil glares at each other. I then lead the way out of the building and Dad was waiting outside in his car, as he offered to drive us.

After we arrived back at my house and we said hi to Mom, the two of us headed to my room to chat while Dad would take care to order pizza and sodas. Once we had privacy, I turned to Alexia and asked,

"Ok, why did Rhett have to step in? He wasn't supposed to since he's the director, right?"

Alexia nodded and replied, "Yeah but the guy who was supposed to be Gunsel decided to go on this stupid road trip and the understudy wasn't available so Rhett was the only one who could step in since he knew the lines. And well, it helped that Rhett and I had practiced a lot."

Alexia blushed as she said those last words and unable to help myself, I looked at her teasingly and said,

"And did you enjoy that kiss?"

Alexia blushed deeper and replied, "It was nice but it was just part of the play. We had to kiss."

I replied, "Uh huh, but it sure looked like Beck was about to explode or something. It's a good thing he kept his cool."

Alexia sighed and replied, "Yeah, definitely."

I looked at her seriously and then said, "You know you can't keep seeing the two of them, right? It is almost the end of the year and you're going to have to decide."

Alexia replied, "I know, I know…I just don't know what I'm going to do but when it comes down to it, I should be able to decide. I don't want to lose them both…So how about we change the topic to you? I want to know what's been going on between you and Shuppin."

I blushed and caught Alexia up on everything that had happened up to the kiss that Shuppin and I shared in music club. Alexia looked so happy for me and hugged me as she kept telling me how she was so certain that I would win Shuppin's heart and I couldn't help but agree with her. It was still unbelievable that Shuppin and I had reached a point in our relationship where we both knew that we loved each other but still, it was all worth it. Alexia and I spent the rest of the evening chatting and eating until it got quite late and Alexia had to get home.

 **Chapter 24**

On Friday evening, I was busy getting ready for the Leavers' Ball. I had taken a shower and after doing my hair and fixing my makeup, I took out a red gothic dress with a black rose. As I put on the dress and the shoes to accompany it, I sighed to myself. I had chosen this outfit specifically to impress Shuppin but knowing that he wouldn't be there, it seemed like a waste. Earlier, I had thought about not going at all but as soon as I even muttered one word to Alexia, she replied that I couldn't miss out on the ball. Shuppin wouldn't want me to and all our friends would be there so we should be there to celebrate and such. Alexia was right but I wasn't in much of a mood for a celebrating, as the one person I really wished to see wouldn't be there.

As soon as I got dressed, I went downstairs and immediately, Mom took a candid picture of me. She grinned and said,

"I had to take a picture of you, sweetie. You look so beautiful."

I smiled and replied, "Thanks, Mom."

Dad then approached me and said, "I'll drive you there and we're picking up Alexia on the way, right?"

I nodded and after waving goodbye to Mom, I left with Dad in his car and we headed to Alexia's house to pick her up. As soon as we arrived, Alexia approached us and hopped in the backseat along with me. I noticed that she was wearing a beautiful elegant black dress with silver high heels and her hair was arranged in soft waves. As Dad drove us towards where the Leavers' Ball would be held, I turned to Alexia and said,

"Wow, you look fantastic. You'll definitely turn heads."

Alexia smiled and replied, "Thanks, Caitlin, and you're looking pretty great yourself."

The two of us continued to chat in the car until we arrived at our destination. Alexia and I both got out of the car and Dad then looked at me and said,

"You two have a great time tonight and if you need a ride back, call me or if you're making other arrangements, call me as well. I don't want to worry about you two."

I nodded and replied, "Ok, Dad, and thanks for the ride."

Dad then drove off and Alexia and I headed inside the building. Once we entered the ballroom, I took my time looking around and was very impressed with how beautifully the place was decorated. It looked like the school faculty had gone all out to make this Leavers' Ball as festive and fun as possible. However, I noticed that at one of the long tables, there were bowls of alcoholic punch and glasses of wine and champagne and I couldn't help but silently question why alcohol would be allowed, as back in the US, it wasn't legal to drink until a person was 21 years old. Alexia glanced at me and then looked at what I was staring. As though she knew what I was thinking, she shrugged and said,

"I don't get it, either, but maybe it's legal to drink once we're 18 here. I'm not touching the stuff, though. I need a clear head tonight."

I nodded in understanding and replied, "Because of the whole Beck and Rhett situation, right? I won't bug you about it anymore since I know you'll come to a solution soon, if you haven't already."

Alexia gave me a grateful smile and then we went to find some of our friends and chat with them for a bit. Some more students arrived and once it appeared that almost everyone was present, Dys and Rhett made a farewell graduation speech to the students and made sure to thank the staff for all of their hard work in helping us. As I watched the pair, I observed that Dys seemed a little relaxed, perhaps a little too relaxed. I'd noticed enough drunken people to know when someone has had a little too much to drink and it appeared that Dys had at least a little alcohol in her body although no one commented on it, if anyone else noticed.

After Dys and Rhett finished their speech, everyone broke off to mingle, drink, eat, or dance. Alexia and I split up although we'd see each other later. As I walked around, I'd hoped that Shuppin would somehow be able to make it here but seeing that he was absent, I sighed sadly to myself and wondered how his audition went. I thought about calling him but since I had no idea if he already had his audition or was in the middle of it, I decided against doing so, not wanting to take the risk of disturbing him.

So I continued to walk around and seeing that Dys was by herself, I approached her and said, "That speech you guys gave was amazing-it must have taken forever to write!"

Dys gave me a sheepish smile and replied, "Well, it did take a while…but it's all over now, I guess! It's hard to believe I'm not Head Girl anymore…that I'm not even a schoolgirl! It feels like it's all too soon…"

I nodded and replied, "I know what you mean-it seems like I just started at Northmain the other day and here I am leaving already…"

Dys replied, "Still, we had some good times, right? It's been so great hanging out together…You have to promise we'll keep in touch after we leave, okay?!"

Surprised by Dys' panicked demeanor but not opposed to the idea, I nodded and replied, "Sure, of course!"

Dys replied, "Heh, sorry, that was a little loud. I think maybe I've had a little too much…But thank you so much, Caitlin. I don't think this year would've been anywhere near as bearable if it weren't for you. I'm really going to miss you, you know!"

I smiled and replied, "I'll miss you, too. Though obviously we'll be in contact all the time, so we won't really have time to miss on another, right?"

Dys nodded and replied, "That's a nice way of looking at it. I think I still have to make nice with the teachers-I'm not done being Head Girl yet, I guess. But maybe I'll see you later?"

I replied, "Ah, yeah, sure thing."

As Dys headed off to talk to some of the teachers, I concluded that she had indeed been drinking but she didn't seem the type to drink and that made me wonder if was talked into doing so. However, I didn't have long to ponder over that thought as Petime approached me and said,

"Hello, Caitlin. You look so pretty tonight."

I smiled and replied, "Thanks, Petime. You, too."

Petime replied, "I cannot believe we will not see each other in music club anymore. Thank you so much for everything you've done and I wanted to tell you something…"

Petime looked nervous but I didn't push her into telling me so I waited until she continued,

"I wanted to wish you the best of luck with Shuppin. He is very lucky to have you."

I blushed and replied, "Oh you know about him and me?"

Petime nodded and replied, "Yes, I did for a while now. I could see how much he liked you and you are a wonderful person, Caitlin. He could not have chosen better."

I replied, "Thanks…So hey, let's keep in touch, okay? Let's hang out over the summer at least."

Petime replied, "Sure, I would like that…I do not wish to keep you from your other friends but perhaps we will see each other later?"

I nodded and replied, "Sure."

After Petime left, I wondered about the ballroom, left to myself. I wanted to approach one of my friends but it looked like everyone was busy or nowhere to be seen. Wondering what to do, I stopped walking and looked around when suddenly, a dark-haired, very drunk girl bumped into me, spilling her drink all over my dress and staining it. I was shocked at what she did but before I could say a word, she said,

"You should watch where you're going, love."

Getting over my shock, I angrily replied, "Me?! What about you? You spilled your drink all over me! You should've watched where you're going."

The girl looked angrily at me and replied, "Oh? Are you calling me a drunk? But I'll forgive you in the celebration of tonight."

I felt myself about to explode although the next sound that came out of my mouth was a sob rather than a scream. Alexia immediately ran over to me and looking over at the drunken girl, she pointed her right index finger at her and said,

"I saw what you did. How dare you ruin my friend's dress, you drunken bitch? And then you go accusing Caitlin of it being her fault."

I was crying at this point so I couldn't say anything. As I quickly glanced sideways, I noticed that we were getting some stares and Dys and Merle approached us, wondering what had happened. I saw that a couple of teachers had approached us, too. As I was too upset to say anything, Alexia explained the situation to the others and I could make out her words about how my parents would sue and such. I knew that Alexia was exaggerating over how bad the situation was but I was grateful that she had come to my rescue.

After Alexia had finished her tirade, Miss Chahan said,

"Let's calm down, okay?"

She turned to the girl and said, "I'm afraid you'll have to leave. It's best to avoid any further incidents tonight."

The girl looked annoyed but didn't protest as the other teacher escorted her out of the room. Miss Chahan then looked kindly at me and said,

"I'm sorry about your dress, Caitlin. Let's see if we can fix it, all right?"

She looked at Dys and Merle and said, "Dys, would you take Caitlin to the girls' toilets? And, Merle, would you see if there's a spare dress backstage? There's usually one or two."

Dys and Merle nodded and Merle then ran off towards the backstage area to see if there was a spare dress and as Dys was escorting me to the restroom, Alexia was about to follow when Rhett suddenly approached her and asked,

"Alexia, if you're not too busy, can we talk? There's something I want to know."

Alexia looked torn between following Rhett and helping me out but I gave her a small smile and said, "It's ok. You can go with Rhett. Dys and Merle will help me out so I'm in good hands."

Alexia nodded, giving me a grateful smile. She then followed Rhett out of the ballroom while Dys and I went to the restroom to try to clean my dress. Seeing that the restroom was empty except for us, I sighed with relief and said,

"At least there's privacy in here."

Dys nodded and replied, "I'm sorry about your dress, Caitlin. I hope we can get that stain out or if not, Merle should be able to find another dress."

I replied, "I guess but perhaps this was meant to be. I only wore this dress because I wanted to impress Shuppin and he's not even here…"

I trailed off and noticed that Dys got all quiet on me. Realizing what I'd said, I looked on apologetically at Dys and continued,

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought up Shuppin. I knew he wasn't coming tonight because of his audition in Glasgow although I'd hoped that he'd be here somehow."

Dys replied, "It's okay. I-I wanted Shuppin to be here, too, because I wanted to tell him that I'm sorry for being pushy on him, for wanting to be as close to him as I thought siblings should be. But Shuppin wanted his space and I didn't respect that and now I'll never get to tell him."

Dys looked off sadly and I replied, "Hey, that's not true. I mean-this isn't the last time you can tell him that. You two have all summer and I know Shuppin would never think badly of you. And I want you two to get along-at least be friends or something."

Dys gave me a small smile and replied, "Thanks, Caitlin. You've been a wonderful friend and Shuppin is very lucky to have you. I hope you two will be happy for a long time."

I smiled gratefully at Dys and then the two of us tried to get rid of the stain on my dress although it seemed that it wouldn't go away. I sighed sadly to myself but before I could say anything, Merle came into the bathroom and proudly said,

"It took me a while but I found a dress for you, Caitlin! Think of it as my way of making up for not asking your permission about the pancakes thing."

I gave Merle a look and replied, "Umm, Miss Chahan asked you to find me a dress so it's not like you had much of a choice."

Merle shrugged and replied, "Whatever. Anyway, here it is."

As Merle showed me the dress, I noticed right away that it was the same dress that Alexia had worn when she was Juliet and performed that romantic scene with Rhett. I gave Merle another look and asked,

"Was this the only dress you could find? It's a bit too much and I can't go out in that."

Merle replied, "Beggars can't be choosers and all that, you know. It was the only dress I could find."

I sighed and taking the dress, I entered an empty stall and quickly changed out of my dress and into the Juliet dress. Once I was dressed, I left the stall and asked,

"Ok, how bad do I look?"

Dys replied, "You don't look bad at all. At worst, you look a little overdressed but…"

Merle added, "Hey, at least you'll stand out!"

I smiled a little and replied, "Yeah, I guess so. If I'm lucky, not too many people will notice."

The three of us left the restroom and returned to the ballroom. Although I was worried that I'd get many weird stares, I was lucky that no one seemed to be paying attention to my dress. There were couples dancing on the main floor and everyone else was either busy chatting or outside. Dys and Merle had split off to chat with more friends and left to myself, I decided to head out to the balcony for some fresh air.

As I sat by myself on the balcony and looked up at the sky to see the numerous stars twinkling on such a clear night, I thought to myself,

 _I can't believe I'm here and wearing the most ridiculous dress ever. And Shuppin's not here…What's the point? I might as well call Dad and ask him to pick me up now. I can return the dress tomorrow._

As I was getting ready to leave, though, I heard a voice from below suddenly shout to me,

"Hey, down here!"

Realizing that it was Shuppin, I quickly returned to the ballroom and went downstairs and outside to meet Shuppin. Surprised, I said,

"I-I can't believe it…I thought you were in Glasgow."

Shuppin replied, "It was pretty close, but I managed to get the train back. I couldn't go without seeing you dress now, could I? Speaking of which…"

Blushing, I quickly replied, "W-well, you should know that this isn't what I turned up in! It's a long story but…"

Shuppin quickly shook his head and shyly replied, "I was just going to say…You look really beautiful. I'm glad I came back."

I looked down at my feet, feeling my cheeks get warmer. Remembering something, I asked,

"Oh, that's right! How'd your audition go? I really wish I could've been there…"

Taking out his violin, Shuppin replied, "Well, y'know, if you wanted…I could always give it another go."

Shuppin played his audition piece to me and I watched nearby as he did so, impressed with how well he played. After he was done, he looked at me and said,

"So, ah, the main reason I came back was to tell you…I think I…I think I'm in love with you. I think I've loved you for a long time. I just wanted to tell you…I just need to know how you feel before I leave. I just…couldn't face not knowing…"

As Shuppin trailed off, I decided to be brave and leaned in to kiss him, showing him through my actions that I loved him, too, and that I had for a long time. After the kiss was over, I looked at him warmly in his eyes and replied,

"I…I'm pretty sure I love you, too."

Shuppin smiled and replied, "So then, you'll come to Glasgow with me, right?"

Taken by surprise, I replied, "W-what?"

Shuppin quickly added, "Over the summer, at least! I'll play for you every day, I promise!"

I looked happily at him and replied, "Well, with an offer like that…how can I refuse?"

I wrapped my arms around Shuppin's neck while he held me in his arms and the two of us enjoyed the quiet and peace of the night in each other's company. As I noticed others leaving the ballroom, I saw Alexia as well and it looked like she had finally chosen. I smiled a little to myself, not at all surprised by her choice. I only hoped that Beck would make her happy and if he made her half as happy as Shuppin made me feel, then Alexia would be quite lucky indeed. Although I wanted to know more details on what had happened, my attention for the rest of the night was on Shuppin and looking happily into his eyes, I figured I could hold off on talking to Alexia. Tonight may have started off badly but it turned out to be a pretty wonderful night in the end, with Shuppin having declared his love for me and I having done the same for him. I couldn't have had a happier ending, that's for sure.

 **Epilogue**

A few days had passed since the Leavers' Ball and I was busy making plans for the summer as well as deciding on which university I would attend. I had received my test scores back and I aced them all, which gave me a wide range of choices. I looked at some universities in Glasgow and Edinburgh and finally settled on a university in Edinburgh. Although I wouldn't be in the same city as Shuppin, at least I was within driving distance and we could see each other on the weekends. As I promised Shuppin that I would spend the summer with him in Glasgow, that meant that I wouldn't be able to spend the summer with my parents or friends for long so I had to make the best of the time that I had.

As I broke the news to my parents about my summer plans as well as my choice of university, they were happy but yet sad at the same time. Mom said things about how I was finally "growing up" and Dad said that he had hoped that I'd be closer to them despite going to university but at least I wasn't going back to the US. I suppose if I hadn't met Shuppin and fallen in love with him as I had, I might have decided just to go back to the US, as I had many friends back there that I wanted to reconnect. As it was, though, I did find the love of my life and wanted to follow him wherever he went.

Finally, when I had some free time, I called Alexia to hang out like we used to during the summer and as Alexia didn't have any plans, she agreed to meet me at the Arndale. Once we got there about the same time, we bought smoothies and then walked around the mall, window shopping and talking all the while. Alexia looked at me and said,

"I'm happy you called. I would have called you soon but things have gotten so busy since the Leavers' Ball."

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I noticed." Deciding not to beat around the bush, I asked, "So you chose Beck in the end, huh?"

Alexia nodded and replied, "Yeah." She looked down, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. I asked,

"How did you decide? I saw Rhett wanting to talk to you and I thought that he'd ask you to be his steady girlfriend or something."

Alexia replied, "No, it was nothing like that." She looked off a bit thoughtfully before continuing,

"That night, while you were getting your dress situation under control, Rhett wanted to talk to me alone so we went to an empty room. Then he confessed to me that he had known about me and Beck for some time and he was saddened. I wished he'd gotten angry instead. His anger would have been easier to take than his sadness. Rhett hoped that we could still be friends although I could see in his eyes that just going back to being friends would have been difficult. It was then that I had to decide. I couldn't keep stringing Rhett-and I guess Beck, too-like that so I went with my feelings and they told me that I had such a strong connection to Beck since we first met despite that Rhett was steadier. I hugged Rhett, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said that I'd hoped we could be friends even though I'd understand if that wouldn't be easy. Rhett admitted that it wouldn't be but he would try.

After Rhett left, I knew that I had to find Beck. I went back to the ballroom but didn't see him there so I looked around and then I saw him outside. It looked like he was about to leave so I had to run to catch up to him and once I did, I confessed to him that I'd fallen in love with him and wanted to be with him. He found it hard to believe at first-said something about how he saw me leave with Rhett and thought that the two of us were 'making out' or something. But I told him that wasn't it-that Rhett only wanted to talk to me. Beck then relaxed and smiled at me, saying how he finally understood what it felt like. I guess he meant that it was hard when it wasn't only him vying for my attention."

Alexia giggled a little and then continued,

"After everything was said, Beck said about how he'd never want another guy vying for my attention again. Usually, I wouldn't like when a guy would be so possessive but I didn't mind it with Beck. I know he's changed. When we're together, I don't see him glancing at another girl and Lamb told me the other day about how Beck has become slightly more serious and how I was influencing him in a good way. So yeah, that's what happened."

I smiled and replied, "It looks like you got your happily ever after. I have a very good feeling about you two but if Beck ever does something to hurt you, you call me right away and I'll beat him up for you or something."

Alexia laughed and replied, "Sure, I can always count on you. And hey, I saw you and Shuppin at the ball as well and it looked like you two were getting pretty cozy."

I blushed and then told Alexia what had happened that night as well. After I was done, Alexia replied,

"Gosh, I'm happy for you, Caitlin, and it's about time Shuppin confessed his love for you but are you really going to Glasgow soon? I'd hoped we'd have the entire summer together."

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I promised Shuppin. His dad's going to close up his shop here to make the move easier for Shuppin and the two of them offered to let me stay with them for the summer. Then I'll be going to Edinburgh in the fall for university and Shuppin and I will visit each other every weekend, if we can't do so more than that. But I'll definitely come back for winter vacation and we can hang out then and there's always the Internet and texting."

Alexia replied, "Yeah, that's true. At least I'll have friends here when I start school in the fall. Merle's going to Northmain University as well and I'll get to see Beck as much as I want."

Surprised, I replied, "Wait, you're going to Northmain? It's an okay school and everything but I thought you'd want to go back to school in the US or maybe somewhere in London or Oxford?"

Alexia replied, "I thought about it but Northmain's not so bad and I haven't been here nearly long enough to get tired of it. And besides, I don't want to be one of those girls who try to make long-distance relationships work and I want the chance to make a steady relationship with Beck work."

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, I guess I can understand that. It looks like we're truly going our separate ways soon."

Alexia replied, "Yup but we'll always remain friends, no matter what. So let's make the best of the time we have left."

I smiled, not opposed to the idea one bit. Alexia and I spent the rest of the day at the Arndale, window shopping and chatting and such. The next few days were spent in the same way. I did my best to spread my free time out with Dys, Petime, and Merle as well as a few other friends.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to leave Northmain and head to Glasgow with Shuppin and his dad. Mom and Dad gave me farewell hugs as Shuppin's dad placed my suitcases in the trunk of his car. Dad then talked to Shuppin's dad regarding my stay and Mom told me that she and Dad would come get me at the end of summer so I could get settled in Edinburgh for university so I would definitely see them again before I knew it.

As I waved goodbye to Mom and Dad from the backseat of the car, I felt a little saddened but once they were out of view and I turned to Shuppin beside me, I smiled, feeling happy to start a bright future with him. Shuppin looked at me shyly and said,

"I'm happy you chose to come with me. I can't imagine starting uni without you."

I replied, "And I can't imagine starting my future without you in it."

The two of us kissed although it was only briefly since Shuppin's dad was driving and could see everything that was going on from the rearview mirror. I felt happy to be beside the one I loved with all of my heart and even though I didn't know what the future would bring, I knew that I could face anything and be brave as long as I had him beside me to support me, as I had supported him.


End file.
